by Jaleta Clegg
"Reashay did her best to pull them," I said. "What do you want of me, Mayguena? Or should I call you des Shira and get back on my knees?"
"I think I prefer you this way. I want you to help me start a civil war. I want you to help me convince the slaves to fight on our side. I want you to help earn your freedom. I want you to make a better future for Lilliasa."
"And what can I do? I'm a slave."
"You can be my voice and my ears in places where I won't be trusted. You can talk to the slaves. I have a plan. I was only waiting for the right pieces to be placed in the game. And now I believe I have them."
She smiled a cold, calculating smile.
"I believe the tub is full," Lilliasa said and turned off the water.
Chapter 21
It took me a long time to fall asleep. I kept replaying the conversation with Lilliasa and Mayguena while Shadita snuffled in my ear, snoring in her sleep.
What did they really want? And why me? I understood too little of them, and their society. I'd spent most of the time feeling sorry for myself. I sorted my memories for scraps of information. Did Mayguena really mean it when she offered me my freedom? How could I trust her? She owned me. I was property. Would they turn on me in a day or a week? Would they decide I was too dangerous? I glanced to where the shadows hid Lilliasa's bed. How could I trust them? How could I not? I'd given them every reason to beat me or kill me for my actions, but they hadn't. Mayguena had been pleased instead.
Was she telling me the truth? About what she wanted, about her world, about all of it? I had no way of knowing. It was either trust them, work with them, or let Reashay win. I could grovel and be a slave and slowly lose my mind. Or I could trust them and the promise of freedom they offered. I would have to be very clever and very careful. If anyone suspected what we were doing, especially Tuarik, he wouldn't spare even his own daughter.
I needed to know more. I needed to know how they worked, what their society was really like. I'd only had glimpses outside of Lilliasa's rooms. I needed to know how much time I was going to have to pretend to be a slave.
I finally managed to fall asleep, still listing questions. Whether I wanted to or not, I had to trust Mayguena. I didn't have another choice, not if I wanted to stay sane.
I almost believed I'd imagined it the next morning. None of it seemed real. Mayguena treated me no differently. I took Shadita into the courtyard for her morning rituals. Mayguena waited until I fed Shadita before talking to me.
"Come, Pooki," she said, as arrogant and distant as ever.
I followed her silently into the front room. She waved me to a bench.
"I wish you to embroider more scarves." She handed me a fistful of gossamer fabric in soft colors. "There are ribbons for edging them in the box."
"What do you wish me to embroider on them, des Shira?"
"Whatever you fancy," she said and gave me a small smile.
It hadn't been a dream. I ducked my head and opened the box of threads.
A piece of soft orange caught my eye. A phoenix, I decided. The flaming bird of hope that my ship was named after. No one but me would ever know the significance of it. I threaded a needle with gold and began picking out the basic shape, my stitches tiny and even, delicate tracing of gold on the sheer orange fabric.
Mayguena hummed to herself as she watered the various flower arrangements in the room. She picked through them carefully, plucking withered petals and immersing others in water. I remembered the listening bugs and wondered what they would look like. And how Mayguena knew they were there. My fingers worked by themselves as my mind chewed over information. Perhaps later I could ask more questions. Although I still wasn't sure if I could trust Mayguena. She picked up a bouquet and went out, towards the bathroom.
There was a peremptory knock at the door. It opened before I could do anything. Bradoc stepped into the room, tall and arrogant in his self assurance. He looked around before his gaze settled on me.
"Do they leave you alone often?" He came closer.
I set the embroidery aside and stood. I was shaking, frightened by the look on his face. I balled my hands into fists to hide the trembling. I was at a disadvantage. He knew what I was capable of doing, he was prepared for it. He lifted one hand to show me the dark wand he held almost negligently.
"You should pay for your presumption," he said.
"You will not touch her," Mayguena said from the doorway.
I took one step to the side, trying to put distance between me and the wand Bradoc held. He pointed it at me, his arm out straight. "You harbor a dangerous animal. She will be taken and suitably punished."
"You harm her and I will make certain people find out about your activities in the old hunting lodge. I have proof of what you do there."
"You wouldn't dare," Bradoc sneered.
"It would give me immense satisfaction to see you publicly humiliated and shunned," Mayguena said with a smile. "Not even your father could protect you if it were known what you do with female slaves out there, where you think no one can hear the screams."
"You have nothing, you bitter old woman."
"Only a man who is losing resorts to insults." Mayguena calmly placed the flower arrangement back in a bracket on the wall. "I do not remember inviting you into these rooms."
"They are part of the mansion, part of what will be mine someday. And you would be wise to remember that." Bradoc's attention was fixed on Mayguena. "Tuarik gave me—"
"No authority here," Lilliasa said from behind Mayguena. She was disheveled, hair in a wild tangle. She clutched a robe around her, only partly covering her thin nightdress. "These rooms are mine. You will leave now."
"And you will soon not be my problem," Bradoc said. "Father called this morning to say your wedding date has been moved. Six months from now, two months after High Festival. Gyth is most anxious." His smile would have done a snake proud. "Gyth won't tolerate your pet. Perhaps I'll ask him to let me punish her. I was the one she insulted." Bradoc turned to look at me again. I shifted away from him.
"She left you helpless, dear brother," Lilliasa said, rubbing the insult in.
He snarled and raised the wand towards me. I cringed, flinching away from the pain I knew was coming.
"Get out, or I will make your sins public," Mayguena said sharply.
"This isn't over," Bradoc snarled. He threw the wand to the floor and stalked out. The door slid shut behind him.
I sat heavily on the bench, my hand going to the collar around my neck. I stared at the wand on the floor, black and short and promising pain at the touch of a button. Mayguena bent down and picked it up. I flinched.
"What is it?" Lilliasa asked.
"A control rod," Mayguena answered. She studied me thoughtfully. She dangled the rod in her hand, her fingers moving restlessly over it.
I looked up, meeting her eyes, wondering if this was what came of trusting her. She had a calculating look on her face, a coldness in her eyes that left me shivering inside. I read ruthlessness in her face. She would do whatever was necessary, use whatever she needed to achieve her goals. If she ever decided I was not necessary, she wouldn't hesitate to discard me.
She dropped the rod into her watering can. It sparked. A brief sizzle of pain ran through me, from the collar to every nerve in my body. I reacted the way Reashay had conditioned me to react. I dropped to my knees and bent my head.
"Interesting," Mayguena said, watching me. She fished out the rod. "Perfectly harmless now." She dropped the wand in front of me and picked up the orange fabric I was embroidering. "You work quickly. Can you have three finished by tomorrow afternoon?"
"I do not know, des Shira," I whispered. I was unsure of my status now. What I'd read in her face unnerved me.
"Are we back to that, Dace?" She let the fabric slide back onto the bench. "Perhaps it is safer to assume someone will always be watching. You may rise, Pooki."
I got slowly back to my feet and settled on the bench. I watched her warily, not quite dar
ing to meet her eyes again.
"I believe I need to do some shopping," Mayguena announced, turning away from me. "Your father gave you a toy. Perhaps it is time to show her off. New dresses? Like a child's doll but more interesting."
Lilliasa blinked sleepily. "You wish me to go with you?"
"I would not trust Pooki alone. Bradoc is much too devious." Mayguena moved purposefully, gathering up a few things from various places in the room. "Are you feeling well, Lia?"
Lilliasa yawned. "I believe I will stay here and rest today."
"Keep the door locked," Mayguena said. She shot me a measuring look as she left.
Lilliasa crossed the room, her robe trailing behind her. She touched a plate to one side of the wall. Yellow lights flickered under the surface. She looked back at me, tucking a wild curl behind her ear. It didn't stay there.
"Perhaps later we can talk," she said. She yawned again and left the room. I heard her settling back into her bed.
I picked up the embroidery. The room was very quiet. Shadita snored in the courtyard, sprawled under a trailing spray of flowers. I let my mind wander while my fingers stitched.
What would Jasyn be doing now? I could almost smell her cooking. If I closed my eyes, I could almost hear her talking with Clark. I wanted to be back with them. I wished I'd never said yes to Lowell. Or the Eggstone.
I had hope now, however slender that hope was. Mayguena needed my help. As long as our goals were the same, I could trust her to keep her word. I'd just have to watch and take advantage of any opportunity.
I wasn't going to leave without Tayvis. I wasn't going to lose him again. I promised myself I would make it work between us. Whatever it took.
My fingers kept working, tracing flowing lines across the fabric. A flaming phoenix took shape under my hands. Its head was stretched out, yearning for freedom. My heart spoke through my hands.
Shadita woke, then snuffled through bushes. She made a sad peeping noise. I gathered up the embroidery and went into the courtyard. She pranced happily around my feet. I set the fabric aside and spent time brushing her.
Lilliasa stirred after a while. She came out to the courtyard and sat on a bench near me. Water burbled across the stones and tiles in the fake stream. The fountain filled the courtyard with the clean scent of fresh water. The sound of it would mask quiet voices. Maybe that was why Mayguena had it installed.
Lilliasa yawned. Shadita trotted over and chirped at her. She bent down to stroke Shadita's long fur.
"Tell me what you think of Mayguena and her plans," Lilliasa said, her attention on Shadita.
I paused, a needle threaded with gold poised over the sheer fabric. Could I speak honestly and frankly or was I only courting trouble? I felt I could trust Mayguena, as long as our goals remained the same. I knew little of Lilliasa. I didn't know if she was as shallow as she appeared or if that was only a carefully cultivated facade. She glanced obliquely up at me, her face giving nothing away under the tumble of red curls.
"You spoke openly enough last night," she said finally. She lifted Shadita to her lap. "I could still give you to my brother. He would give me much for you."
I ducked my head, watching my needle slide through fabric.
"Tell me of your worlds," Lilliasa said, her fingers deep in Shadita's fur. "Are they the same?"
"In many ways," I answered. "Would you really give me to Bradoc? Can I trust you?"
"Can I trust you not to strangle me in my sleep?" She laughed, a short brittle laugh that had little humor in it. "I would not give you to Bradoc. It is much more satisfying to deny him. Although if it were done right, I could use you to discredit him completely. While appearing totally innocent, of course." Her smile had an edge to it that made Mayguena's look dull. "Mayguena told me I should tell you about our glorious society. What would you like to know?"
"Why should you wish to start a war? You have everything you could want."
"Except freedom. You should understand that. What would you give to have freedom to do what you wish, marry whom you choose, have children if you desire, or perhaps not marry?" She looked sideways at me. "You have no freedom. Now. What price would you pay to have it back?"
"I've spent most of my life fighting to be free," I confessed. "What price would you pay?"
"My life, if needed. Mayguena and I aren't the only ones. Mayguena has a whole network of people who feel much as she does. You think I have everything here? I have all the food and clothing I could wish. I have the luxury to do nothing if I choose. But what if I want to be something else? Say a pilot, or a business owner, or even a gardener. I'm denied that. I can be a decoration for a man. Nothing more."
"Why do you accept it?"
"Why do you accept your collar? Because I have no choice. This is what I was born for. And then genetics played tricks on me. I have no value as a mother. I have value as a toy, a diversion for a man with nothing better to do." She shifted Shadita from her lap and paced in the tiny space in front of the bench. "What of genetics in your Empire? Who is the most desirable?"
I tied off my thread and studied her, wondering what she meant.
"There are traits, races, that are more valued than others," she said, frowning. "The rulers of your people, what are they like?"
"They are all different." I had to reach far back to a civics course at the Academy to form an opinion. I'd never met any leaders. Stealing their personal documents and breaking into their mansions didn't count. Patrol commanders didn't count either. I'd met more than a few of those.
Lilliasa stopped her pacing, watching me as I threaded a new color into my needle. She fingered the phoenix burning over the fabric.
"So fierce, yet so vulnerable," she murmured. "What is it?"
"Another bird. A pheonix. Legends say it explodes in fire every thousand years and is reborn from the ashes."
"A strange creature, much like societies. Every thousand years, they burn and rise again, renewed. It's been a thousand years since the founders, the first Triad, brought us here to rebuild our society. We fled the corruption of the colonies. I don't think this is what the founders had in mind."
"Tell me."
"No one knows where our homeworld is, if it even existed. It's buried too far in the past. Something bad happened, though. Our people fled, establishing colonies where they could. It was a struggle. We lived by the Code. Only those who were not affected by the diseases and radiation were allowed to breed. The mutations were stopped. Women were protected, safeguarded in the shelters. But only those who could breed, the others were sent out to do dangerous work. There was no safety for them.
"Centuries passed. The population grew. They no longer lived by the Code. They allowed heresies to creep in. So a thousand years ago, the three founders, the Triad, gathered up their loyal followers and left. They came here. There are nine worlds now in the Hegemony. Trythia, this one, is the most productive, the safest. There are only two where we can live without domes. Most of the others are maintained because they are rich to mine. They build ships and go out raiding, looking for those they can exploit, looking for Lestia, the world of paradise."
She fell silent. I watched her, putting pieces together in my mind. I still wasn't sure what she and Mayguena wanted from me.
"We use slaves because they were the easiest, in the beginning," she continued after a long moment. She settled on the stones near the stream and dabbled her fingers in the water. "There aren't that many slaves. Only the rich can afford to keep them and use them."
"Then what do the others do? Use machines?" Somehow I couldn't reconcile that with the limited views I'd had outside of Lilliasa's rooms.
"We have technology, far beyond what your people possess. Or at least that's what my father says."
We watched Shadita splash in the shallow stream.
"I thought about what you said," Lilliasa said. "I think you're a liar. No society could maintain fifty worlds without fracturing. And you claim thousands. Your Empire is a figment of your imagina
tion, designed to frighten us into trusting you."
"Why would I make it up?"
She ignored my question. "If your Empire is so powerful, why haven't they come and conquered us? Why are you still slaves here?"
"Because they don't know where you are yet." I was more than a little irritated by her, but I was also her slave. I ducked my head over my embroidery.
She laughed at that. "I'll believe your thousand worlds when I see the ships."
"If you get me one of your starships, I'll go fetch them for you." I was serious. Right then I would have tried to fly anything if it meant I could leave.
"That is an idea," she said, cocking her head to the side. Her hair tumbled across one shoulder. "But what promises can you give that your people will leave when we ask? How do you know they won't just make us slaves in return?"
"Because we don't do things that way. Worlds like yours are made protectorates of the Patrol. Kept safe and allowed to develop their own way. As long as you leave others alone, they'll leave you alone. If that's what you want."
"And you believe it. You're too naive, Dace." She used my name without hesitation. At least I'd come that far.
"What do you want from me?" I asked. "You want out of an arranged marriage, that I can understand. What does Mayguena want? She talks of revolution, overthrowing your whole world. Why?"
"Because she hates what they make of her," Lilliasa said as if it were obvious. "She hates the way they treat women, as if we are nothing more than breeding machines."
"So she wants to turn it around and treat the men the same way. That's just as wrong."
"What would you suggest?" Her tone was mocking. "What great wisdom is there in your fictional Empire? Men and women living together equally. No slaves. It is impossible, the economics alone say it can't happen."
"It isn't perfect," I said. "But it's better than this."