by K. B. Wagers
“It is always a pleasure to serve both you and Indrana.” He smiled. “Fenna asked if you would message her once you finished here.”
“I can do that,” I said after checking my schedule. I didn’t have anything else to do until dinner with Alice and Taz.
“I’ll speak to you next week before you leave.” Father Westinkar waved good-bye and the image went dark.
I cued up Fenna’s contact, at the last second deciding to run it through the higher-level encryption com link rather than my regular one. If the former director of Galactic Intelligence Security wanted to talk to me, I figured the odds were better than fifty-fifty it was about something important.
“Majesty.” Fenna Britlen dipped her graying head briefly in my direction after she answered.
“Father Westinkar mentioned you’d like to speak with me. What’s the matter?”
Fenna’s blue eyes were sober, and she didn’t even bother with a denial. “I overheard some Farians talking the other day, thought you should know what their conversation was about. The young men were being rather candid. I suppose they assumed none of the humans around them could really understand.” A smile pulled at her narrow lips, the smile interrupted by a scar that cut through the corner of her mouth and ran down her jaw.
The Farians kept many secrets, including their language, which had been withheld from the databases for any translation software used by our smatis. Unfortunately for this pair, the former head of my spy network had more than a passing acquaintance with Farian.
On our side of things, Gita had been teaching me the language when we had time. Her natural command of languages and time spent as a guard for the Farian consulate had given her a working knowledge of the alien language. I wasn’t sure why I was doing it, if I was going to be honest, but Fasé had said we needed to learn, and despite my tangled feelings for the Farian I’d once considered a friend, there were some things I still believed in.
One of them was that Fasé could see the future.
“I was out with Tefiz the other day for lunch,” Fenna continued. “She’s doing well, by the way, and sends you her love.”
“Send her mine back,” I replied with a smile. My childhood Dve had lost her wife in the early days of the attack on the throne—the same attack that killed a number of my mother’s BodyGuards—but she’d survived and gone into hiding with Fenna’s help. When I returned home the pair’s assistance had been invaluable in the recovery of my throne.
“I will, Majesty. There were a pair of Farians at a nearby table.” Fenna shook her head. “I wasn’t even listening at first; it was just casual conversation. Then one of them dropped their volume, just enough to catch my attention.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
“I’ve sent the recording to Caspel. It’s not good, Majesty,” Fenna said instead with a sigh. “The gist of it is that something is going on back on Faria. I can’t get a good read on it, but there appears to be a new faction on the Farian homeworld that the Pedalion is very concerned about. From what I’ve found when I started looking into it, there appears to be a prophet—not all that unusual for the Farians—who’s calling for an end to the war with the Shen and for Faria to open herself up to humanity. The message is very popular among the newer generation of Farians. These two young men were talking what I’m reasonably sure is heresy, but they’re so unhappy with the way the Pedalion is handling relations with humanity that they’re willing to consider open revolt.” She frowned. “Part of me feels like we should pass it along to the Farians, but—”
“We’d have to tell them why you know Farian,” I finished and dragged a hand through my hair with a sigh of my own. Our smatis translated every human language in the galaxy with the exception of a handful of obscure dialects, but even after all these years the Farians hadn’t agreed to putting their language into the database. Their objection was religious in nature, leaving us with no choice but to attempt to learn it the old-fashioned way, and that was harder than it should have been with no Farian willing to teach it to us.
“Not to mention answering a few other questions I know we don’t want to get into right now. All right, Fenna, thanks for this. I’ll talk to Caspel about how best for us to proceed. Did you see the news about the hit on the Farian outpost?”
“I did. That’s why I thought I should tell you about this as soon as I could, but I didn’t want to call you directly. It seemed better to wait for your regular com with Taran. I apologize for using your nephew like that.”
“It’s all right, Fenna.” I waved a hand in the air in dismissal. “Your instincts are on point. If anyone is watching, it’s better for them to at least have to work to keep up with us.”
Fenna grinned. “Keep making them work, Majesty.”
“Tell Tefiz I love her. I’ll talk to you both later.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I disconnected the call and got to my feet with a heavy sigh. It seemed things were far more complex than just the war heating up between the Shen and the Farians. I hoped the two alien races kept their war as far away from Indrana as was possible, but if Faria was facing unrest at home, it could impact their ability to fight off the Shen.
The Farian homeworld was somewhere in the Scutum-Centaurus arm of the Milky Way, closer to the center of the galaxy. We didn’t know exactly where it was because no human on record had ever been to their homeworld.
Neither did I know if the Shen lived anywhere close to the Farians, or even if they had planets of their own. I double-checked my smati for any information on the Shen and found it sadly lacking. According to the Farians, they were heretics, renegades who’d been at odds with the Farians for more than a thousand years before humanity had begun our evolution on Earth.
All we knew about the Shen had been funneled through the Farians, and it didn’t take a genius to realize how biased the accounts were.
Leaning on the railing, I called up Caspel Ganej’s direct line and watched a train car pass by outside the privacy screen as I waited for the current director of my intelligence agency to answer. The area we were in hadn’t suffered damage during the battle for Krishan, and if I hadn’t known any better it would look like just another late-summer day in the capital. Indranans went about their business on the street below me and in the fluted buildings arching toward the sky across from me.
“Good afternoon, Majesty, what can I do for you?” Caspel asked.
“Director. Fenna sent you a recording. I thought you should have time to look at it before tomorrow’s briefing.”
“It’s encrypted. I’ll need to decode it.”
“Do that, we can talk about it more in-depth tomorrow.” I gave him the quick rundown.
Caspel frowned. “If this is accurate, Majesty, it’s the first I’ve heard of it. It could be an indicator that things are shifting against the Farians.”
“Between that and the news about the latest attack, I’m starting to wonder why we haven’t heard a thing from the Farians.”
“I know, Majesty. We’ve sent out several feelers, both official and unofficial. There continues to be no response. There have been several visitors to the embassy lately, and a new arrival early this morning.”
“I haven’t heard from the ambassador since she very politely told me she was too busy to see me. We’re used to these little flare-ups, but they almost always settle back down. What’s changed now?” I asked, blowing out a breath as I paced the balcony.
“If you recall from a briefing back at the beginning of Kartik, the Shen’s leader, Javez Cevalla, was assassinated several months ago,” Caspel replied, and an image of a bearded older man with dark brown eyes filled my vision as Caspel’s video feed moved to the bottom right-hand corner. “I’d put even money on that being the catalyst for this escalation.”
“Did we ever get confirmation on who was responsible?” I raised an eyebrow.
“No, Majesty.” Caspel shook his head.
“Any guesses?”
“It’s
hard to say, Majesty. No one has claimed responsibility for it. I mean, the Farians wouldn’t admit to it even if they were capable of something like that. According to the Shen, he was murdered. All the reports I could get from my operatives say he died in his sleep, but that was all secondhand hearsay. I don’t have people in with either the Farians or the Shen.” He swiped a hand in front of him, removing the image and replacing it with two other pictures.
“You already know that his children, Aiz and Mia, took over the leadership of the Shen. Officially, they are in joint control of the Shen forces. What little I can find on them indicates that Aiz is about ten years older than his sister. I have full dossiers in process if you would like to see it when I am finished.”
I leaned against the railing again, tapping my fingers on it. We’d covered this when news of Javez’s death broke, and I remembered seeing both these photos on the news report the other day.
Aiz was bearded like his father had been, and the family resemblance was strong. His hair was longer, a rich brown that matched his eyes, and it brushed the edges of his sharp jaw.
Mia’s hair was darker, her chin rounder, and her eyes a piercing gray. They were filled with a determined anger that was echoed in the set of her mouth. She was stunning, and I felt an odd little flutter of attraction in my stomach that hadn’t made itself known for a long time.
“Quite the pair,” I said, pursing my lips. “Yes, let me see it and keep it updated.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Caspel replied, swiping again to bring up several news articles. “In the three standard months since Javez died, the Shen have hit five Farian colonies. Wiped them out, burned them to the ground. There was a minor skirmish at a research station with a mix of Farian and other nations on board, but no one was injured. Then a week ago they walked into a Farian outpost and stole more than a dozen ships.”
“I saw the news report on that ship theft. It said no one was killed?”
“Correct.” Caspel lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know why they didn’t kill everyone in the outpost. That would have fit their modus operandi more closely.”
“Well, let’s just be grateful they didn’t and hope that pattern continues.” I reached up and brought the photos of the Cevalla siblings back. “Is this going to be a problem for us, Caspel?”
“My professional opinion, Majesty?” At my nod, Caspel continued. “I don’t have enough information to make a proper risk assessment. We all know it’s imperative for Indrana to get her feet back under her, and obviously getting involved in another war is not going to accomplish that.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered with a bitter laugh. “Caspel, Fasé told me to watch for the little things.”
“Did she elaborate?”
I shook my head. “No, but coupled with all this it makes me uneasy. What does your gut tell you?”
Caspel swallowed. “My gut says there’s a storm coming, Majesty, and like it or not we may be right in its path.”
I blew out the breath I’d been holding. “I’m right there with you. The last time I felt like this and ignored it, Portis and I were ambushed on a shitty little outlier world and I almost died.”
“Candless, Majesty?”
Nodding, I studied the photos for a moment longer before sharing a grim smile with Caspel. “Find out what you can, as fast as you can. I don’t want Indrana to get caught up in any fight, but this one looks like it’s going to be particularly nasty.”
The sun was setting, streaking gold across the sky that evening when Emmory came through the door of my rooms as I finished dinner with Alice and Taz.
“Apologies, Majesty.”
“What is it, Emmory?” My Ekam had that look on his face, the careful non-expression that meant he was trying very hard not to let anything show. Taz set his wineglass down, sharing a look with Alice.
“Majesty, Colonel Morri is here with another Farian. She apologizes for not contacting Alba about your schedule and wonders if you have a few moments to speak with them.”
The reason Emmory was upset was suddenly clear: no BodyGuard wanted an unvetted Farian to show up unannounced, even one vouched for by a Royal Marine, who was herself a Farian. And even if said Royal Marine had acquitted herself with a great deal of honor during our push to retake my throne.
The fact that the heir, her unborn child, and her consort were also here just made things even worse.
“What did Nila have to say?” I asked.
“The Heir’s Ekam is understandably concerned, as am I, about having all three of you in the room with an unexpected visitor.”
“The room across from us is empty, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Have Nila put them in there with Team One and then bring her team over here. We’ll go see what’s so important that it’s got Colonel Morri risking Alba’s wrath—and mine—to show up like this.”
“Well, now I’m curious,” Alice protested as I got to my feet and smoothed both hands over my gray-and-black sari.
“You sit there with Taz and be curious; I’ll show you the recording when I get back.”
“The Farians are our allies, Hail; their fight is with the Shen, not with us.”
“I realize that.” I smiled, shaking my head. “But I didn’t survive the last twenty years by assuming my friends were always going to be on my side. Don’t argue, Alice. Stay here.”
The hallway was filled with a silent pantheon of grim-faced BodyGuards, and I stepped hard on the sudden panicky racing of my heart.
“Go in, lock that door. You two on guard in front of it. Anyone besides me or the empress comes out of this room, you start shooting, understood?” Emmory said.
“Yes, sir.”
I exchanged a nod with Emmory and he opened the door again. Lieutenant Colonel Dio Morri and an older woman in a pale green dress turned from the window facing the interior courtyard. Zin and Gita were on opposite sides of the room. I stopped close to the door, with Emmory slightly in front of me. Iza and Indula were on either side of the door, hands on their guns. All my BodyGuards were tense, and I couldn’t blame them. An unvetted Farian was enough to make everyone nervous.
Even though the Farian scriptures specifically forbade killing with their powers, it wasn’t something anyone wanted to test with me in the room.
The aliens could heal or wound with just a touch to bare skin. They could also kill and bring someone back to life, and though both those things were forbidden by their gods, all of the humans in the room had seen Fasé bring Emmory back to life on Hao’s ship and then revive Admiral Hassan on Ashva after a sniper had blown a chunk out of her heart.
I stayed where I was, with my hands folded together at my waist. Even were it appropriate for me to offer the proper Indranan greeting of a palm out, there was no way my BodyGuards would let an unvetted Farian touch me.
“I am sorry for interrupting your evening, Majesty.”
“This explains why the ambassador refused to come see me.” I waved off the apology. “But we’re here now. What do you need?”
“Your Majesty, may I present Itegas Adora Notaras. She just arrived from Faria and wanted a chance to speak with you.”
“It’s a great pleasure to meet you,” I said.
“Your Majesty. It is an honor. I am Ambassador Notaras.” The elderly woman bowed low, and I glanced past her to where Lieutenant Colonel Morri stood, tight-lipped, at her side.
“Welcome to Indrana, Ambassador. I didn’t hear anything about your arrival from the embassy. If I’d known you were coming, we would have been better prepared to greet you.”
“It is quite fine as it is. There is no need for elaborate ceremony. And time is of the essence.” Adora rose, her platinum eyes serious. “Fasé sends her deepest regards.”
“She’s well?”
“As she can be. She’s atoning for her sins.”
Whatever my issues with Fasé were, the edge to Adora’s words made me uneasy. When Fasé’s father had taken her home, it sound
ed simply like she would spend some time alone contemplating the magnitude of what she’d done. She’d had plenty of access to Stasia since her departure; surely she’d have said something if things were that bad.
I wondered if I should pull a trick from Fenna’s book and slip into a com link from Stasia to speak with Fasé directly. Adora’s reply carried a heavy weight, reminding me how much I owed Fasé, how much Indrana owed her. Fasé had sacrificed everything for us by violating her people’s most sacred beliefs when she’d brought Emmory back from the dead, and I’d repaid her with cold fury at the end of it.
Because Cas would be alive if it weren’t for her. Or we’d all be dead.
“She’s a criminal?”
“Oh no, Majesty.” Adora waved a hand. “She is voluntarily undergoing penance for breaking faith.”
The words went to war in my head, drowning out everything else, because I knew Adora was talking about Fasé bringing Emmory back to life when she said that. I felt Emmory’s fingers brush against my arm, returning my focus to the Farians in front of me. I forced a smile as I released the breath I was holding.
“What is it we can do for you, Ambassador?”
“I have come to extend an invitation to you, Your Majesty. Indrana and Faria have been allies for a very long time. The Pedalion would like to meet with you to discuss a stronger alliance between our people.”
10
The shock that Dio failed to hide told me all I needed to know about this unprecedented offer, and I remembered Fasé’s words about how the Pedalion had never met with a human in all the years they’d been in contact with us.
“I would be happy to talk with the Matriarch Council and put together a delegation. We would need to select an ambassador—”
“The Pedalion would like to meet with you, Majesty. No one else. I am here to bring you back to Faria with me.”
“Me? Why?” Something about this whole situation made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I couldn’t stop myself from shaking my head. “No. Indrana values our relationship with Faria, Ambassador. However, this is an incredibly difficult time for us and I am needed here. I’m sure the Pedalion can respect that there is no way for me to leave my empire. We’ve just forged a fragile peace. I have things that I must handle here at home before I head out for a tour of my empire. I do not have time to be traveling all the way across the galaxy.”