by K. B. Wagers
Mia and Aiz wanted to come home, though for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why they considered Faria home when Aiz had been gone for so long and Mia had never set foot on the planet. They wanted the Shen to not have to hide. They wanted the war to be over.
And then there was Fasé. I canted my head to the side. Fasé, whose people were looking to her to lead them. Fasé, who seemed so sure of the path she was taking. Was it because she could see the destination?
“Majesty, Fasé is here. Should I have Indula let her in?” Emmory asked.
“That was prophetic.” I laughed at Emmory’s confused eyebrow. “I was just thinking of her. Let her in. I have something for her to look at.”
“This is a three-dimensional Chaturanga game,” Zin murmured, still staring at the screen.
“Evening, Fasé. It’s only the first day and I’m ready to punt your people out into the front yard. Do you speak Shen?”
“Evening, Your Majesty,” Fasé said with a laugh as she came into the room. “I do. It was required for those of us who left the planet.”
I reached my free hand out, touching my fingers to hers and transferring the digital recording of my day. “Let me find the time stamp on the conversation Aiz and Mia had.”
“Is that Kag?” Fasé’s eyes lit up in surprise. “I wonder—” Her eyes unfocused slightly as she cued up my recording. “It is him. Interesting. He’s an old friend from home. I was told he’d gone, but obviously I didn’t get the whole story.” She looked up at me. “I think I found the part you were talking about, just after Aiz demanded his father’s soul?”
“Yes.” I nodded, stopping my own search. It was interesting that there wasn’t any shock in Fasé’s voice over that, and my curiosity grew.
“Mia says, ‘You were going to wait.’ I’m assuming she’s talking about the demand for the soul. Aiz replies with—that Das is a hiss of annoyance, not really a word.” Fasé frowned. “‘You wanted to wait. I will go on.’” She glanced at me. “Next time, let them talk—they’re being foolishly arrogant by assuming you won’t have access to someone who can speak Shen. There’s not enough context there. I can tell you there’s obviously a disagreement about how to proceed, but not why.”
“You’re being extremely nonchalant about the fact that they demanded a soul,” Zin said.
Fasé lifted both hands. “The Pedalion probably does have it.”
We all stared at her.
“I haven’t had nearly enough to drink for this.” I tossed back the remains of my whiskey and headed back to the bar. “Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”
“I honestly didn’t know. We heard rumors of Javez’s death but assumed that the Pedalion had actually killed him, not taken his soul hostage. But reflection on that tells me I should have probably assumed the worst of them. They know that the idea of his father trapped will drive Aiz mad and he’ll do almost anything to get him back.” Fasé perched on the edge of the dark brown couch, balancing herself easily with her knees under her chin.
“What about Mia? How does she feel about her father?”
“It’s hard to say. She may be less attached given that half of her is human.” Fasé smiled at me. “You’re frowning. It’s just reincarnation, Majesty. The concept should be easy for you,” she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. “How else do you think Sybil and I got to be so old?”
“In theory, yes, I understand it,” I replied. “Do I believe in it?” I took a drink and stared out the window at the stars sparkling in the sky. “I don’t know, Fasé.”
I’d promised Ganesh that I would do my duty if he protected my people, but where had he been when Cas gave his life for ours? Where had he been when Commander Resnik had faced down the Shen missiles with nothing more than a trio of unarmed freighters?
“Do you think we’re all crazy?”
I cleared my throat and turned from the window. “Your gods are real, and your souls are things that apparently can be kept in little jars waiting for someone to demand their return. I’ll roll with it for now. Mostly because it means while Aiz is dangerous, he’s not entirely delusional.”
Fasé studied me, an inscrutable look on her face that put Emmory to shame. “We can work with that,” she said, finally, with a nod in my direction. “Whoever killed Javez Cevalla took his soul so he couldn’t come back. This was, by all accounts, the reason for the renewed attacks by the Shen, and the spreading of the conflict into the human arms of the galaxy. I don’t know if the Pedalion ordered the hit—though it wouldn’t surprise me—but they gladly accepted the bargaining chip.”
“How could a Farian have gotten that close to him?”
“Any number of ways; the Farian converts to the Shen side still look very much like Farians for a while. It would have been easy to slip someone in.” She pondered the question. “At least from a visual standpoint. I suspect it was much harder than that. Why do you ask?”
“Curious,” I replied. “Aiz and Mia seem more focused on getting the soul back than finding out who was responsible. Do you think that’s because they already know?”
“It’s possible. If they do, Aiz will throw it at Adora the moment he sees her. That’s not the sort of opportunity he’d pass up. If they don’t have the assassin they’ll be hunting whoever it was, and they will find them. For now Aiz will push as hard as he can to get his father back because he knows these negotiations are his best chance. Killing someone is easy; retrieving a soul from the Pedalion—” She shook her head. “No one has ever accomplished it.”
“They specifically started shooting around human targets to bring us into the fight?” I stared at the ceiling and blew out a breath, pushing aside the desire to ask Fasé more questions about souls that wouldn’t help me manage these negotiations. “Or to push us right where we are now because they knew the Farians wouldn’t sit down and negotiate with them otherwise.”
“It certainly seems that way. It could also be that they hoped humanity would kick the Farians out of your spaces. The results of that would be disastrous. The Pedalion would be forced to admit there are other ways for us to dispose of our excess energy than giving it to humans. There are too many Farians and not enough gods left for them to take on that kind of burden.” Fasé shrugged. “Either way, the Shen’s plan worked, didn’t it?” She tilted her head at me. “Was Mia flirting with you? Interesting.”
I realized she was still watching the recording of the Shen and closed my eyes with a muttered curse at the curious looks my BodyGuards were now directing my way. “How about we not have that conversation,” I replied, opening my eyes and refusing to look in Emmory’s direction. “Mia is part human?”
“Yes, Majesty.” Fasé was still grinning at me. “The Shen have intertwined their lives with humans, and Javez was with her mother during her brief life. I cannot say for sure if those who are the offspring of humans and Shen carry their soul from life to life. Maybe they do and they don’t remember it. Or they don’t speak of it. But the original defectors, their souls remain the same as ours do.”
“So, Aiz isn’t Shen. He’s a Farian.”
“I would not say such a thing to him, Majesty.” Fasé shook her head and squeezed my hand once before releasing me. “He would kill you for it. Granted, he’d probably bring you back to life right after, but I wouldn’t recommend trusting him on that front.”
“I’m pretty sure Emmory’s going to kill him before he ever puts his hands on me again.”
Fasé opened her mouth, closed it again, and looked to the side, some inner debate happening before she exhaled and spoke again. “You are technically correct. He was Farian. He chose to become something different, same as his father. Same as the other original Shen. Same as Kag is now, you can see the shift in him.”
“That’s why Aiz doesn’t look like you?”
“He’s chosen not to,” Fasé replied to Emmory’s question with a laugh. “And after so many years, I suspect it’s just who he is now.” Her face creased in thought.
“Also, his manipulation of the gift veers wildly from what the gods intended. I suppose it’s possible in a few thousand years I will look different as well, given the path I’ve chosen.”
Part of my brain desperately wanted to ask just what she meant by that, but the rest of it was screaming about the volume of information Fasé had just hit us with.
“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Emmory said. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve hit my saturation limit.”
“It is enough,” Fasé agreed. “There will be more revelations in the days to come, I’m afraid. Take the time while you have it, Your Majesty.”
“Good night, Fasé.”
Emmory and Zin walked her to the door and stood a moment in quiet conversation with the Farian before she patted them both in the chest and left the room.
I exhaled and stared at the screen for a long moment before I shut it down and looked at Emmory.
“Get some sleep, Majesty,” he said. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
“Tell me about it,” I replied, and headed for the bedroom. “I’m going to go drown myself in the shower.”
Zin jerked as if I’d slapped him, and Emmory’s sharp inhale was loud in the silence. I froze and pressed a hand to my eyes.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “I am so sorry.”
“It’s all right, Majesty.” Emmory found his voice first, but it was raw with emotion. We hadn’t really talked about the aftermath of Wilson’s attack on me, not in any detail. But they’d all watched me drown—fires of Naraka, the whole empire had—and it was unbelievably heartless of me of be so flippant.
“If anyone can joke about that, it’s you,” Zin said.
“Cowshit.” Whiskey sloshed over the side of my glass as I crossed to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’m sorry.”
Zin hugged me back, his reply muffled by my arms. “Please don’t ever do that again, Hail. The dying part, not the jokes.”
“I’ll do my best. Let me go so I can hug your husband before he pretends like none of this happened.”
I felt Zin’s rumbling amusement before he let me go and set my glass down on the table on my way to Emmory. My Ekam’s dark face was impassive, unreadable, but it had been nearly a year since he picked me out of the carnage of my ship and brought me home. A year of us together almost every day.
I knew what he was thinking and what he wouldn’t allow himself to say even now.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, stepping closer and sliding my arms around his waist as I rested my head on his shoulder.
Emmory didn’t say a word, but his arms closed around me, tightening almost to the point of pain, and he pressed his cheek to mine. His exhalation, when it came, was just the slightest bit shaky, and I heard him whisper something before he released me but couldn’t quite make out what he’d said.
I knew better than to ask him to repeat it. Clearing my throat and retrieving my drink, I saluted them with it. “I am going to turn my bios off for an hour.”
“Yes, ma’am. Just turn them back on or I’ll have to come wake you.”
“I’ll see you both in the morning.”
“Good night, Majesty,” they echoed.
Flipping my bios off, I set my glass down on the edge of the bathroom counter and reached into the shower to turn the water on. The sound made my breath catch, but I didn’t yank my hand back; instead I held it under the water. The drops splashed and bounced and rolled over my palm, dripping between my fingers to the shower floor.
I waited for the pain, the fear, the suffocating weight on my chest. It didn’t come in a rush, but rather a slow, creeping thing I could feel crawling up from my toes.
“Okay, you can do this.” I pulled my hand out, stripped my clothes off, and climbed into the shower.
39
I was up, watching Sol rise, cutting the Matterhorn out of the night sky with golden swords of light, when Hao came into the room. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” he replied, sitting next to me. “Sleep well?”
“A few hours; I’m grateful it doesn’t take long to adjust to Earth time.” I reached a hand out, brushing it over the bruise decorating his cheek. “What happened?”
“Someone tried to cash in on Po-Sin’s bounty.” He shrugged. “Before you say it, I’m not hiding in here like a rat in a cage. I suppose the Solies were onto something when they pushed so hard for standard times that weren’t far off from Earth’s. Though it’s an exhausting thing on the outer rim.”
“I remember. Can you believe that people climbed that mountain several thousand years ago with zero tech?”
“Our consistent flaw is our reckless stupidity.”
“We are driven to explore, even at the risk of our own lives.” I smiled. “It’s one of our greatest strengths. What were you up to out there?”
“Checking on a few things.” Hao grinned in return. “Rai said to tell you hello and thanks for the heads-up about the visitors in town.”
“I can’t imagine what they’re thinking.” I rolled my eyes. “If they accidentally take out a Solarian citizen they’re going to be in a pile of shit.”
“That’s their problem. Gita was following me to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong, by the way. I moved slow so she could keep track of me. I am a little hurt she didn’t lend a hand with those two idiots.”
“She knew you could handle it. Not to mention you would have just been snarly about the help. She would possibly forgive you faster if you stopped being an ass, you know? Swallow your pride, gege.”
“Mind your own business.”
“I hate that my trust in you is damaged. I can’t imagine how she feels.”
Hao cleared his throat and changed the subject. “We followed those leads Caspel passed on. I no longer have access to Un—to Po-Sin’s accounts. However, Dailun was able to charm a bank teller into giving him a peek.”
“What were you thinking? You’ll get Dailun killed, never mind the poor girl at the bank.”
“The boy at the bank can take care of himself,” Hao corrected me absently. “And Po-Sin won’t do anything to Dailun. He can’t. Dailun has practical immunity while he’s Traveling. He might get his ass chewed when he—if he—finally comes home, but that’s it.”
“Fine, what did you find out?” I poked him. “But if something happens to that bank teller, I’m holding you and Dailun personally responsible.”
“I’ll pass that along. He took Henri out for a drink.” Hao’s grin faded. “Hail, they paid Po-Sin a lot of money. This is the fifth account we’ve tracked down so far.”
“What’s a lot?”
“Current total is fifteen trillion credits.”
“That’s a fucking tenth of my Shiva-damned treasury.” I looked away from the sunrise in shock. “How in Shiva’s name do the Shen have that kind of money to throw around? And who else are they paying?”
“I don’t know.” Hao shook his head. “But they’ve got Po-Sin’s support unless the first battle with the Farians somehow does enough damage to make him think that’s not enough money.”
“Can you find out where it’s coming from?” The idea struck me, and I turned back to the rising sun.
“The tracking number on the transfer came from a bank I recognized.” It was Hao’s turn to stare at the Matterhorn as he mulled over the problem. “Yes, I think I can. Give me a few days.”
“Check in with Gita.” He glared at me. “What? She knows what she’s doing. If you get stuck, ask her for help.” I patted him on the knee as I stood. “I have to get ready. I’ll talk to you later.”
Hao muttered something in Cheng that sounded distinctly like I regret all my choices in life as he left the room.
“Oh, this is going to be fun,” I subvocalized over the private com link with Emmory as first the Farians and then the Shen were ushered into the room from the two doors on opposing sides. Fasé and her people were already seated at the wide table.
The tension in the room shot
up to the level of an engine room with an Alcubierre/White Drive going into failure. I dragged in a breath, set my shoulders, and sent a prayer winging up to Hanuman to keep Indrana safe and my head clear as I protected my people.
Adora took in Fasé’s company, her mouth drawing into a thin line of disapproval, and she muttered something under her breath to the woman standing at her side.
“Good morning, Empress,” Aiz said, his gaze flicking to Emmory, standing resolutely on my right-hand side. The positioning put him between me and the Shen, a fact that, judging by Aiz’s wry grin, didn’t escape him.
Adora and the Farians filled in the seats on the left side of the table.
Aiz’s grin grew. “Good morning, Adora. It’s a delight to see you again after all these years.”
“Gamo re enis, retikós.”
I didn’t have to understand the words to understand that tone of voice. However, the other Farians gasped in shock, so whatever Adora had said wasn’t good. Aiz’s grin went almost feral in response and Mia shot me a helpless look. I sighed and tapped a knuckle on the tabletop.
“We have just gotten started,” I said. “Adora, that’s your first warning to watch your mouth. Same for you, Aiz. If you came here for a negotiation, act like it. Otherwise, get the fuck out.”
“I was perfectly polite,” he replied, but put his hands up when I put mine on my guns. “My apologies, Empress. Please continue.”
“Everyone have a seat,” I said, leaving one hand on a gun and looking around the room with a smile. “You all know me, and presumably you know each other, though we’ll do a quick round of introductions before we get started. Before that, I will lay down the ground rules for these negotiations. I am the sole deciding voice in these chambers, the last word. I trust you all understand what that means, and that when I tell you to be quiet, you will do so without pause.
“As my chamberlain informed you yesterday,” I continued, gesturing at Alba, who was sitting by my side, “each side is allotted three warnings during our morning session and three in the afternoon. They do not carry over, but don’t feel like you need to use them. I promise you the more warnings I have to issue, the more cross I will get. Three warnings,” I repeated. “The fourth will result in the entire delegation being removed from the room, at which point I will speak for you. Any decisions made after you leave will be on your own heads.”