by Amy DuBoff
“I, for one, think it’s time we reexamine our practices,” Marina said, breaking the silence.
Elard, one of the elder advisors seated at the far side of the table, folded his hands on the desktop. “Let’s hear what you have in mind.”
CHAPTER 26
With classes starting in the morning Raena would have preferred to be spending some time with her new friends, but when her father called her to his office with Jason and Ryan, saying “no” wasn’t exactly an option.
She sat down on the couch facing the viewscreen between her brother and Ryan.
Wil stood before them, hands clasped behind his back. “Ryan, you’re getting into the details of our family’s business probably more than you’d like, but I thought it appropriate to include you given the overlap with your impending political situation.” He paused for a moment, looking them over, then proceeded to pace while he spoke. “Dynastic inheritance rules dictate that one heir must be named. Now that I’m a direct heir rather than one generation removed, I no longer have the luxury of delaying that decision. I’ve watched both of you, Jason and Raena, over the last two weeks to see what interests you and where your strengths lie. Through those observations, I feel that Raena is most suited for the political responsibilities on Tararia.”
Jason leaned back on the couch. “Phew! I was worried for a second you were going to pick me.”
Raena gave him a playful punch. “I think that’s pretty obvious, Dad.”
“Do you accept the nomination?” Wil asked her.
She glanced at Ryan. “I do.” Of course, there’s more to it than just my personality…
“I know you already understand the larger political context so I won’t bother to spell it out. But I will say this: if we, as the Sietinen Dynasty, come forward in several years with a lost heir to Dainetris and the means to form a binding alliance between the two dynasties, we will achieve all the political leverage we need to instigate a major upset.” He sighed. “At the same time, I spent the first twenty-five years of my life being manipulated for others’ ends. I don’t want to do the same thing to you, so it’s up to you how to proceed. Consider it your first decision as heir, Raena.”
She shrank back into the couch. Decide if I want a lifelong commitment to a guy I met two weeks ago? There’s liking someone, and then there’s that.
“You don’t need to make a decision now,” Wil continued. “Think about it. Talk about it. Let us know when you have some notion of which way you’re leaning so we can plan accordingly.”
“Dainetris was never part of your plan before,” Raena pointed out.
“No, it wasn’t. But it’s a game-changer. So long as any Dainetris heir is alive, there’s a seventh vote that should be counted that hasn’t been in play. We no longer need to sway the existing Dynasties—with Dainetris, we have a majority. But further, unveiling what happened to Dainetris and the Priesthood’s involvement might give us the leverage we’d need to make the vote unanimous, which would change the situation even more. Until now, a unanimous decision was out of the question, so we hadn’t even considered trying.”
“What’s the difference between unanimous and not, in terms of how things would play out?” Ryan asked.
“With a unanimous vote, we could go in and strip the Priesthood of its power immediately. Their ties are strong, but we’d have the numbers to make it swift and permanent. If there’s opposition, though, it could take months or years to break the Priesthood’s influence, with operatives seeking refuge with sympathizers. Of course, that will happen with either scenario, but with the unanimous option, not having the backing of any High Dynasty will make it that much more difficult for the Priesthood to accomplish anything once their main administrative head is figuratively severed.”
“So, it’s a single show-down rather than a drawn-out war?” Ryan summarized.
“Essentially.”
That doesn’t seem like any decision at all from a political standpoint, regardless of how we feel about each other. “All right, we’ll talk it over.”
Jason grinned. “I got off easy.”
Wil smiled back. “Oh, just wait.”
They adjourned the meeting and headed back toward their shared quarters. Four doors down from theirs, Raena hung back. “There’s no privacy in there. Should we talk?”
“Yeah, good idea,” Ryan replied aloud.
Jason glanced between them, shrugged, and continued on his way.
“Let’s grab a study room,” Raena suggested. She located the first open room and they stepped inside, closing the door to the windowless space.
“What my dad said…” she began.
“I know. You don’t have to say anything.” He collapsed into one of the four chairs around the miniature conference table and rested his elbows on the tabletop. “It’s all a ruse, isn’t it—giving us a choice?”
Raena sat down across from him. “Considering that I would have been paired up with a total stranger, had my great-grandparents had any real say in the matter, the situation could be much worse. We at least like each other.”
“It’s easy to like someone when you first meet—who knows what we’ll think of each other five months or a year from now?”
“This isn’t about our personal feelings, though,” Raena replied. “To some degree, the political necessity goes beyond whatever else is between us.”
“True, and I can’t argue that it makes sense for us to be together, given what your dad said.”
“And what we saw for ourselves with the Priesthood…” Raena shuddered.
“If our partnership can help bring them down faster, that’s not something we can ignore.” Ryan looked her in the eyes. “That said, you already mean much more to me than just some convenient political arrangement.”
She smiled back. “You do to me, too.”
“Still, agreeing to anything at this early stage…”
“We can still get to know each other at our own pace,” Raena said. “It’s not like we’d be getting married tomorrow.”
“Not tomorrow, but that’s what they’re talking about. This isn’t just parading around as two friends.”
“I know that.”
“And it’s not just marriage—but ultimately merging the two lines. As in, having an heir of our own. Probably two, actually—one for each of the Dynasties,” Ryan pointed out.
“I’m not just a broodmare.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Ryan released a low breath. “I’m taking this seriously, that’s all. I don’t want you to rush into something you’ll regret.”
“Does that mean you’ve already made up your mind?”
Ryan reached across the table and took her hand. “Raena, if I had to be stuck with someone for the rest of my life, I can’t imagine a better partner than you.”
She tossed her head. “You hardly know me!”
“And you hardly know me, but like it or not, we were both born into a life with a certain track, even though the course has only recently become clear. We’re talking about the future of a galactic civilization here—whether two people like each other enough to get married seems like a pretty trivial issue when the alternative is civil war.”
“Yeah, when you put it like that…” Are we really going to do this?
Ryan studied her face. “Besides, I get the impression you’ve already made up your mind, too.”
Raena swallowed. “We may have just met and it’ll still take more time to get to know each other properly, but I think it speaks volumes that we’re not repulsed by the idea about where this can lead.”
“Agreed.”
She smoothed her hair with her free hand. “It’s going to take a while for everything to sink in.”
“No joke. I barely know who I am anymore.”
“Me either. But I do know that I’m happy when I’m with you.”
Ryan nodded. “Me too.” He paused and flashed a coy smile. “You know, I’d still want to try to make things work with you, even
if the fate of the universe wasn’t at stake.”
Raena smirked at the melodramatic characterization of their circumstances. “I would, too.” She took his other hand in hers. “No matter what, we’ll be stronger together than apart. All of us in this cause need to be united going forward.”
Ryan smiled, warm and genuine. “I’m in.”
She smiled back. “Good. Let’s see where this takes us.”
* * *
Sometimes being a leader meant making the tough decisions. In this particular matter, Wil knew the morally right choice wasn’t the correct tactical move.
“It makes me sick, thinking about them being trapped down there,” Saera said.
They’d just finished reviewing Raena and Ryan’s accounts from their time with the Priesthood. Seeing the details of their experiences in writing made Wil appreciate the gravity of the situation even more.
“I don’t like it, either,” Wil replied, “but we can’t just run in there.”
“Why not? We have the forces to take the island.”
“The physical means, yes, but what about the political fallout? We’re so close to being able to do this the right way. We need a long-term solution that will stick.”
Saera shook her head. “So we just stand back and leave them there?”
“I don’t know what to say. Until a few days ago, we didn’t even know there was anyone trapped that needed help.”
“But now we do.”
“We can’t jeopardize a plan that’s taken two generations to put in place for a few hundred people.” His heart dropped. Billions have already died in the name of this war. How do we decide the worth of each life?
Saera crossed her arms and turned away.
“We’ll get them out as soon as we can.”
“If they make it that long.”
Wil looked her in the eyes. “Justice will be served for all the lives the Priesthood has manipulated. This will be the last generation under their reign.”
* * *
Quadris stormed into the Council Room. “Well, what have you come up with?” he demanded of the other High Priests.
“Have patience. It will take time to identify another opportunity,” Tarlaen replied from his seat around the oval table at the center of the airy room. “We squandered our best chance.”
“We don’t have time!” Quadris bellowed. “Every transfer the degradation is worse. The next…”
“We should have taken them as children on Earth,” Baeron muttered from the other side of the table.
“And we should have had security contingencies in place for advanced abilities. Hindsight doesn’t change that we weren’t prepared for the contingency of spatial dislocation abilities of that magnitude,” Quadris shot back. “Now all of our plans are in jeopardy.”
“They’re with the TSS now. What can we do?” Baeron asked.
Quadris sat down at the table in the seat closest to the door. “We have no choice. It’s time we reach out to our long-lost brethren.”
Tarlaen’s eyes widened. “The Aesir?”
“They’re Priesthood as much as us, regardless of their new name.” Quadris passed his gaze around the table. “They understand the importance of our work, even if we don’t agree on the methods. It’s time we complete what we started.”
* * *
The first morning of official training had finally arrived. As Raena entered the mess hall with the Primus Elites in her cohort, she felt the eyes of the other trainees sizing her up. We’re the ones everyone is going to be watching. And me especially—High Dynasty heiress and elite Agent all in one.
It was a lot to take on, but she was up for the challenge. When it came down to it, she didn’t have a choice. The Aesir would be back for her in five short years and she needed to be ready—but not just her; she had to make sure Jason was ready, as well. They’d always had each other’s backs and that was more important now than ever.
The Primus Elites all grabbed their breakfast and brought their trays to one of the long tables in the center of the room.
Raena sat down next to Ryan. “You know, this is really starting to feel like home.”
“Oddly, it is,” he agreed.
“Good thing, because we’re going to be here for a while,” Jared chimed in.
Ned grinned. “Like, a lifetime.”
“That’s a little overdramatic.” Raena rolled her eyes.
“Hey, just telling it like it is,” Ned stated. “The life of an Agent, you know…”
I have a lot more ahead of me than just that… Raena smiled. “I welcome the challenge.”
“It’s only been a few days, but I already can’t believe I was once anywhere else,” Ryan commented.
“Yeah, it’s weird,” Jason agreed. “The right people seem to end up here.”
“They’re not afraid to trim the dead weight, that’s for sure,” Jared said, taking a sip of orange juice.
“Lucky for you, Rory!” Ned nodded to the new arrival that had replaced Hank.
“Yay for being first runner up…” Rory said sarcastically.
“For what it’s worth, that spot should have been yours from the beginning,” Jason said.
“We’re happy to have you,” Raena added.
Ryan nodded. “Everyone here just ‘gets it’. I guess I never felt like I was on the same team with others before.”
“Well, we are on the same team—literally,” Tiff said.
“You know what I mean.” Ryan flushed slightly. “I didn’t realize how much I had been missing until I was around all of you.”
“An intuitive connection,” Jason said.
Ryan nodded. “Yeah. We’re all working toward becoming our full selves.”
“And to do that, we need to help each other,” Ryan said. “What better way to bring everyone together?”
“Everyone expects us to be the best, so we better act like it,” Jason told them.
Raena looked around the table, her gazed finally resting on Ryan. “Somehow, I think we’ll do just fine.”
Next in the Cadicle series
Volume 7: Scions of Change
Change is on the horizon. As Raena and Jason’s training with the TSS nears completion, the return of the Aesir is imminent. Whether the Aesir are adversaries or allies will be put to the test as the final pieces of the Sietinens’ plan to bring down the Priesthood fall into place. Facing an unstable political landscape and with the future of telekinetic abilities among the Taran people on the line, Wil and his family must wage one final war to correct past injustices and usher Tarans into a new era of peace.
Scions of Change is the seventh installment in the Cadicle series. This novel brings together the final pieces for the High Dynasties to attempt an overthrow of the Priesthood and restore equity in the Taran worlds.
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Acknowledgements
I really owe this book to my readers. When I began on this journey, I never expected to be publishing Volume 6 less than two years after I released the first book. The messages of support from readers have been such a motivator for me.
As always, I must thank my amazing group of beta readers and advanced reviewers for helping to elevate this book from the initial draft. Eric, Kurt, Julie, Liz, Dewald, and Katy were instrumental in identifying areas for improvement and helping me realize my vision. I must also thank Charlie and Nick for t
heir great eyes, as well as my mom for her tireless support. My husband, Nick, is my greatest cheerleader and kept me focused even when I was tired and just wanted to watch Netflix.
I would also like to thank the extremely talented author M. D. Cooper for being so generous with his time and supporting me as an author. I have made many author friends in recent months and feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such cool colleagues. They have made being a sci-fi indie author the best job in the world!
Glossary
Aesir - A mysterious group of people known to be of Taran descent that live on the outskirts of explored space, engaging in metaphysical pursuits.
Agent - A class of officer within the TSS reserved for those with telekinetic and telepathic gifts. There are three levels of Agent based on level of ability: Primus, Sacon and Trion.
Ateron – An element that oscillates between normal space and subspace, facilitating high levels of telekinetic energy transfer.
Baellas - A corporation run by the Baellas Dynasty, producing housewares, clothing, furniture, and other textiles for use across the Taran civilization. Additional specialty lines managed by other smaller corporations are licensed to Baellas for distribution.
Bakzen - A militaristic race living beyond the outer colonies. All Bakzen are clones, with individuals differentiated by war scars. Officers are highly intelligent and possess extensive telekinetic abilities. Drones are conditioned to follow orders but still possess moderate telekinetic capabilities.
Cadicle - The definition of individual perfection in the Priesthood’s founding ideology, with emergence of the Cadicle heralding the start to the next stage of evolution for the Taran race.
Course Rank (CR) - The official measurement of an Agent’s ability level, taken at the end of their training immediately before graduation from Junior Agent to Agent. The Course Rank Test is a multi-phase examination, including direct focusing of telekinetic energy into a testing sphere. The magnitude of energy focused during the exercise is the primary factor dictating the Agent’s CR.