by Seven Steps
Still woozy from the relaxing gas, she slowly reversed the hovercraft, and rose into the air.
“You can do this.”
She tried to comm Empress Baleen, but it again went unanswered.
“Auto-pilot on. Directions to Empress Baleen’s Primary Residence.”
The ship went into autopilot mode, and she sat back as it directed itself through the streets of Habitat Beta.
On her left, a line of trees stretched on for miles. Dark brown bark with dark green leaves grew tall, the source of Venus’ paper, furniture, and fresh air.
To her right, she passed fields thick with crops. Even now, at the extremely late hour, men worked in the fields, tending, picking and sorting, guided by large lights that followed them from above.
Ahead, two massive housing blocks were located between a reservoir and the building that housed Secondary Council. Each block contained nearly a hundred houses, separated by over three hundred feet of space on each side. Lines of trees served as property boundaries. The extra space was used wisely, with many of the homes boasting large gardens with colorful flowers, ornate benches and gazebos, waterfalls, and shrines to the Mother Goddess.
The hovercraft parked itself on a landing pad in the front yard of an unassuming home. Colorful flowers and a small lake flanked either side of the door. The house was dark.
Well, reaching her through comm isn’t working. I’ll have to wake her. That is, if she’s home.
She climbed out of the hovercraft, and walked to the front door.
Somehow she felt Kiln’s strength, imagined that he stood with her, guiding her through this journey. She blew out a breath.
I wish you were here.
She rang the bell, and closed her eyes.
The front door opened, and a dark skinned man looked down at her. Tall and thin, with twisted locks that reached to his hips, his eyes held the irritation and alertness of a slave whose sleep had been interrupted in order to cater to the needs of a woman.
She cleared her throat. “Uh, hello. My name is Empress Nadira Marie. I’m here to see Empress Baleen. Is she in?”
The man looked upon her as if she were an intruder, an irritating interloper that, had he a broom, he would shoo from his step.
“May your mother be well, Empress Nadira.” He bowed slightly. “I will check if Empress Baleen is expecting visitors at this hour.”
He closed the door, leaving her in the cool darkness.
Thank you Venus. She’s here and she’s safe.
She shifted from one foot to the other, the chill of the night, and her fading adrenaline, beginning to work its way through her jumpsuit. She wrapped her arms around herself to stop the shivering.
Several minutes later, the man was back, looking more irritated than before.
“Empress Baleen will join you in the sitting room.” He opened the door wide, allowing Nadira to enter the home that seemed just as cold as the outside.
“Is there something that I can get for you while you wait?” he asked. “A beverage? Something to eat perhaps?”
“A hot beverage, please.”
Nadira followed him through the dark, front hall and into a massive sitting room. “And a blanket if you don’t mind.”
“Yes, Empress.”
The man escorted her to a long, black sofa, and handed her the single, multi colored blanket that laid across it.
The chandelier above her slowly came to life, illuminating the room.
The black sofa that she sat on was one of two. In front of her was a giant wall comm. Rugs of various sizes and colors covered the wood floor. The heat seemed to kick on, and Nadira sunk her tired bones into the comfortable sofa.
The feeling reminded her of Kiln, and she bit her inside of her lip to keep the feelings of despair at bay.
The man appeared at her left elbow. In one hand steam rose from a cup encased in a fuzzy cozy. In the other hand was a warm pastry.
“Empress Baleen will be with you momentarily.”
“Thank you, uh...”
“Yalen.”
“Yes, Yalen. Thank you.”
The man bowed, departed.
Nadira laid back on the couch, setting the pastry on a small table next to her. She bought the warm drink to her lips, and tasted chocolate. She sipped the drink, enjoying the way it burned down her throat. The pain distracted her from missing Kiln. When she was done, she licked the excess foam from her top lip.
What will I say when Baleen comes? I can’t tell her the whole story. She’d never believe me.
“Empress Nadira,” came a voice behind her.
Nadira stood, turned to see Empress Baleen, the woman whose stance on slave rights and interplanetary politics had inspired her. The woman who voted for her bill to pass into discovery.
The white of Baleen’s large, black eyes stood in stark contrast to her deep skin. She didn’t wear her hair in the standard bun now. It was tightly curled and picked out into an afro, nearly encasing her head in its massiveness.
“You wanted to see me?” Baleen asked.
“Yes,” Nadira set down her cup next to the uneaten pastry. “I tried to comm you, but I didn’t get an answer.”
“I don’t answer my comm at night. I enjoy my private time too much to be bothered by midnight politics. But, now that you are in my home, what is it that you want to discuss?”
Despite the earlier drink, Nadira’s mouth went dry. She wrung her hands, shuffled a bit.
“Well, I uh...”
“Empress Nadira, I have a long day tomorrow and I’d like to get back to my rest. What is it that you’d like to discuss with me?”
Nadira bit her inner lip. “I am afraid that you are in danger.”
“I’m always in danger. It comes with being a Councilwoman. Is that all?”
“No, I mean real danger. I think that Czarina Arees is going to try to kill you.”
Baleen’s face was unmoved. “Why would you think that?”
“Have you looked at the polls lately? Since the riots, I mean?”
“I haven’t looked at the polls since I added my name to them. I’ve been doing more important things, like mourning the death of my friends.”
“There are only two candidates left.”
“Two?”
Nadira nodded. “Yes, you and Czarina Arees.”
“How is that possible?”
“All of the Councilwoman who were in the running were killed in the Slave Riots. All except you.”
Baleen frowned. “Yalen.”
He appeared from the shadows beyond the door. “Yes, Empress.”
“Please bring me my touch screen.”
“Yes, Empress.”
“I knew that Councilwomen were dead,” Baleen said. “I was especially close with three of them, but the rest of the victims names hadn’t been released when I retired for the evening.”
Yalen came back into the room, handed Baleen her touch screen.
She came around, sat on the sofa opposite Nadira, flipped through it, her eyes growing wider by the second.
“This can’t be,” she gasped. “How can they all be dead? I don’t understand.”
“The slaves were coerced. Enforcers wiped all of the slaves, and forced them to riot. It was all an act to hide the fact that Arees was eliminating her competition, and blaming it on the slaves.”
“How did you happen to come upon this?”
“Arees asked for my vote. I told her no. Then she had my slave arrested on charges that he was a part of the riots. I’ve been trying to find a way to free him ever since.”
Baleen’s eyes zeroed in on Nadira, her voice calm and even. “Why would you, a Councilwoman, work so hard to free a slave, someone who is not even worth the cobblestone beneath your feet?”
Nadira took a deep breath. “Because I love him.”
Baleen’s face was stone. “And why would you trust me with that information?”
“I don’t know. I guess you seem like someone who I can trust. Can
I trust you, Baleen?”
“I suppose we’ll see. Thank you for the information, Nadira,” Baleen said as she stood. “I will take it into advisement,” she paused, “And confidence.”
“Thank you.”
Baleen escorted her to the door. “I wish you a safe journey home.”
“What will you do?”
“What I always do. Survive.” Baleen gave Nadira a warm smile. “Good night, Empress.”
Nadira stepped from the door, and made her way to her hovercraft. She had just enough time to get home, and rest for an hour before Empress Drell’s funeral in the morning.
She hoped she’d done enough tonight to save a life.
Chapter 24
Eyes closed, mouth set in a relaxed line, Empress Drell seemed like she was in the midst of a pleasant dream instead of lying in her final resting place.
Eva put her hand to her lips as the priestess spoke about Drell’s life. The memory of Lex was strong, his scent all around her. He laid in bed next to her until it was time for her to come to the funeral. He helped her dress, saw her to the door, and kissed her again. She stared unseeing at the High Priestess, wishing that she were back home with Lex.
Next to her, Amerish dabbed at her eye. Eva placed an arm around her.
Will she cry when she finds out about me? She thought. Will she mourn what her daughter has become?
In that moment, Eva knew that she was heading down a path far worse than anything her mother could imagine. It was not just her body that Lex had bewitched, but also her mind, and worse, her heart.
A woman can lose her body to her slave and keep it a secret, but when the heart is lost, that’s when a woman runs. Is that me? Will I run? Will I turn Rogue?
The thought shocked her, and she pushed it out of her mind, tried to focus on the priestess words.
The service ended. Neither Eva nor Amerish moved. They remained seated on the cushioned benches, and watched as Drell was lowered into the ground. The floor closed over her and her casket followed an underground track to its burial place.
Amerish sniffled. “It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, mother.”
“Drell was such an amazing woman. Such a sense of dignity and strong Venian pride.”
“Yes, she was.”
“She will be greatly missed, and fiercely replaced I suppose.”
When Eva didn’t respond, Amerish tapped her on the leg. “Eva, pay attention. It’s rude to ignore your mother.”
Eva cleared her throat. “Sorry.”
“What’s wrong? You have that look in your eye.”
“Nothing’s wrong, mother. I’m fine.”
“Don’t lie to me, Eva. I’m your mother, I can tell when something is wrong with you. Are you thinking about Tessa?”
Tessa? It took Eva a moment to remember the woman who’d recently been banished.
“Why would I be thinking about her?”
“It’s all everyone is talking about. What kind of woman does that with a slave? How stupid can you be?”
“Maybe they were in love.”
“Love? Men can’t love. They’re incapable of it. Love is for your family, and for your friends, not for the men who clean your home. What could she have possibly been thinking?”
Eva felt guilt sink deep into her bones. “Yes, mother.”
“Imagine the shame that she bought upon her mother, upon her friends. No one wants to be associated with a Rogue, or their family for that matter.”
“Yes, mother.”
“Yes, mother?” Amerish asked.
“I meant, no mother.”
“That’s right. If my name were associated with someone who turned Rogue, I’d kill myself. It’s the worst kind of shame, the very worst kind. I’m sure that her mother is heartbroken.”
“Mother, she’s banished. Let’s not-”
“What sort of woman would do that sort of thing? Did she hate herself? I just can’t understand it. Maybe the man drugged her? Have you heard anything like that in High Council?”
“Maybe she was tired of feeling cold,” Eva mused aloud.
Her mother was silent for a beat. “Eva Amerish, don’t you talk that way. Don’t you say one thing in defense of her. Rogues are the worst kind of women who do the worst kind of things. They don’t have self-control, they don’t care about anyone else, they are selfish, they go against everything that we believe, everything that keeps this planet alive. Don’t you ever say one thing in defense of them. Not one thing, do you understand?”
“Yes, mother.”
“If you defend them, then you begin to empathize with them. If you empathize with them, you start to relate to them. You’ll start to wonder what it’s like. The next thing you know, you’re running to Mahala with a man and you won’t know how you got there. Promise me that you will never defend them again Eva. Promise me.”
“Yes, mother. I promise.”
The guilt ate into Eva’s stomach, making her sick. She didn’t know what made her feel worse: Going against her mother, going against her planet, or wanting Lex to touch her in the first place? She remembered his kisses and felt shame at the way her lips tingled.
Amerish wrapped an arm around Eva’s shoulder.
“I understand. It’s dreadful business. But we have to stay strong. We have to keep moving forward and not allow these evil women to tempt us.” She looked at the picture that replaced where the coffin once laid. “She looked so peaceful.”
Vomit rose in Eva’s throat, and she swallowed hard to keep it down, to sound unaffected when she said, “Yes, mother.”
She bowed her head, tears coming to her eyes. She knew what she’d have to do.
I have to get rid of Lex. I have to take him back to the Slave Market before anything worse happens. I have to think of my future, and of my mother.
The thought of going back to the cold brought on a sob, and she covered her face with her hands.
“There, there Eva. There, there.”
Amerish held her closer, whispering comforting words in her ear.
The guilt ripped her apart. She sobbed for the loss of Lex, and the loss of her heart, even as the Mother Goddess Venus watched, even as her mother held her close.
Chapter 25
Baleen sat in the front row of Memorial Hall throughout Drell’s ceremony. When the ceremony ended, Nadira followed her outside to the refreshment table, staying a distance away.
Why did she come? Nadira thought. Doesn’t she know she’s in danger?
As Baleen mingled with her fellow council members, Nadira grew more and more on edge. So focused was she on Baleen that she nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice sounded behind her.
“The ceremony was beautiful, wasn’t it?”
Nadira turned around to find Czarina Arees addressing her. She tapped down the strong urge to put both hands around the Czarina’s throat.
“With so many more funerals to plan, High Council will be quite empty this week,” Arees said. “I hope that I can count on you to be in attendance for the primaries today and the final vote tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss the chance to see someone else become Council Leader.”
“Sweet Nadira,” Arees said, placing a gentle hand on Nadira’s chin. “I doubt that your precious Baleen will even make it to High Council tomorrow night. Why not just promise me your vote and end this nightmare?”
Nadira shook Arees off, eliciting a chuckle from the Czarina.
“So young and full of fire, and yet, so dim.”
“Perhaps that’s why we don’t get along.”
“Nadira, I am not your enemy.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.”
“I am only trying to help you understand the way of the world. You cannot let anyone know your weaknesses. If you do, they’ll exploit them. I’m simply trying to teach you a life lesson.”
“You are neither my mother nor my friend, and you don’t scare me. I have evidence that
will expose you for the lying, conniving, murderous woman that you are.”
“What kind of evidence?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Are you threatening me, Nadira?” Arees smile dropped completely. “If you are, then it’s a fight you cannot win. At first, I was only trying to force a vote out of you, but now that you have decided to play a woman’s game, I’m afraid that I’ll have to end you. Kiln too. And your mother, your friend Eva, and maybe even her mother for good measure. Everyone that you love, everyone that you trust, everyone that you’ve ever spoken to, I will destroy them. And then, when I’ve wrung every tear drop from your eyes, I will destroy you.”
Nadira was shocked into silence.
“Oh Nadira, you will lose more then you could ever imagine. You had such a bright future ahead of you. Now, you can keep your vote. The time for chances is done.”
And then she was gone.
Nadira opened her mouth to whisper the foul word that laid heavy on her tongue when her mother’s familiar arms threw themselves around her shoulders.
“There you are. Oh my sweet child, I’m so glad that you’re safe.”
“Where have you been mother?” Nadira asked, mentally adding the words she couldn’t speak.
I needed you.
Marie looked around, then pulled Nadira into a corner of the fenced in garden. “I’m sorry. Something came up. Something I had to address. I’ll have to go away for a while.” Her hand wrapped around her locket, its bean shape hidden in her palm.
“What do you mean?”
“I had a package delivered to me yesterday. Maxwell and I will need to see it safely to the Magistrate Embrya.”
“So you’re leaving?” Nadira asked. “What about Kiln? What about me?”
“I’m sorry Nadira but there’s no helping it.”
“Mother, I need you here. So much is happening. I need someone with a level head to-”
“Nadira, you have the most level head of anyone I’ve ever met. You’ll do fine without me. And I’ll only be gone for a little while.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tonight.”