Neutral

by Viola Grace

  A scribe to an emperor who moonlights as a Guardian has Ariadne confused and anything but neutral.

  Ariadne loves calligraphy, the pen and ink meeting paper and the strange rituals that go with it. It gives her a focus and a reason to move forward, day by day. The rituals move her along, and it is her skill with the pen that gets her into the Volunteer Program.

  Training as a scribe brings her to the empire of Hredu as the means to slow the flow of requests to the emperor. She has no idea that she was summoned there for more than her penmanship.

  Usorn has led his people for years, but he needs an heir and a woman who is genetically neutral is his only option. If she can double as a scribe, it is a win-win situation.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Neutral

  Copyright © 2015 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-ARC

  Cover art by Carmen Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Neutral

  Terran Times Second Wave

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Ariadne Longway couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “You want me for my penmanship?”

  The serious voice on the end of the line confirmed it. “Indeed. Your aptitude test indicates that you are suited to the position of scribe. Many worlds and cultures still prefer to have formal documents handwritten in front of witnesses. There is a demand for this work, but few can manage to write in alien languages. I believe that you can be one of them.”

  “Recruiter Norz. If you are sure of this, when can I leave?” Ari took one of the ubiquitous pieces of paper and one of a dozen pens scattered in the room. She took down the information, repeated it back to him and smiled the entire time. When she hung up, she counted to three before jumping up and down frantically.

  She was going to space and she would get to write important documents. The excitement spilled through her, and she whirled around her living room.

  She had nine days to get ready, so she had better start packing.

  The man waiting for her in the crowded office looked up with a sceptical smile. “You want to become a scribe?”

  It was surreal to see the Earth in the window behind him. The thick material that made up the window allowed her to feel safe, but it was quite surreal to see the parchment, the scrolls and the huge tomes around the room with a very sci-fi view.

  Ari straightened her shoulders. “I want to become a scribe.”

  His face shifted and he beamed. “Then, come over here and sit. Your apprenticeship begins now.”

  “What is your name, sir?”

  “Ah. I am Scribe Denhiaku.”

  “I am pleased to meet you. I am Apprentice Longway, I guess.” She shrugged.

  “Good, we will start with that. Write your name in five languages. Here is the pen and the parchment, look into the download that you were given and see what you can find.”

  She settled on the stool and followed his directions as he gave her minute suggestions for adjustments in posture and hand position.

  Ari dipped the pen in the ink, wiped the overflow and she started writing her name in English. She then moved on to Alliance Common, Imperium Common, Azon and Wyoran.

  When she was done, she moved aside and let Scribe Denhiaku go over her work.

  He shook his head. “Do it again. See if you can spell your own name correctly in your own language.”

  She wrinkled her nose and did it again, beginning a practice of writing and being critiqued that was going to last her months of her life.

  Scribe Denhiaku looked from her to the three-foot document and back again. “Are you sure about this?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I am sure. It is precisely as you dictated.”

  He scowled and looked it over from top to bottom. “Well…”

  Ari waited, her scribe robes didn’t move. It was a scribe’s job to be unseen unless watched. They must blend in with their surroundings by whatever means. She had to be still, quiet and unremarkable in her day-to-day work.

  He finally nodded. “It is good. Set the seal and it is locked in.”

  She smiled. Setting the seal meant it was going into her personal archive of all her training documents.

  “What next?”

  He looked at her and waved at her to have a seat at the small table where two chairs waited for them.

  When he had poured her tea, she took it with ink-stained fingers.

  “Ari, as much as I have enjoyed our seven months together, the time is at an end. It is time for you to get out and ply your trade. I have gotten you a position in the Imperial Court of the Hredu System. They still enjoy a handwritten agreement and depend on scribes for marriage certificates and betrothal arrangements.”

  She blinked at him over the edge of her teacup. “What language?”

  “Ancient Hredu. You will get the upgrade to your information packet. I am sure you will practice on your way.”

  Ari felt the same bubbling excitement that she had felt initially when Norz had called her. “What else do I need to know?”

  He made a slight face. “There is a dress code, but you can pull it off.”

  She cocked her head. “What kind of dress code?”

  “The Hredu is an imperial court, and as such, you will need to dress as an imperial representative. That involves some ornate makeup and a particularly fetching dress. You will need to learn not to get ink on your breasts; it is cute in practice, but I believe you will be wearing a white blouse with the dress. Also, a headpiece will be involved. The previous scribe was dismissed due to tampering with the documents. You will be under intense scrutiny.”

  Aria asked, “Was she Alliance trained?”

  “No, she was actually a he, and he was Imperium trained by the previous Imperial Scribe of Hredu.”

  She nodded. “Ah. Have they had a female scribe before?”

  “Not in the last two hundred years. There will be a learning curve.”

  “And a culture shock.” Ari sighed. “When do I leave?”

  “The shuttle is waiting to take you. This was a formality. Now, fix your seal and get going.” He raised his hand and waved her off.

  A trickle of hurt ran through her, but it had no basis in reasonable thought. She was here for training so that she could do a job. The training was over, the job was about to begin.

  She set the apprentice seal with her name on it on the document and turned to put the seal in her kit. When she opened it, a gleaming gold seal with a carved phoenix was on it. She lifted it and read it backward. Scribe Ariadne Longway.

  She fought her tears and put both seals into her kit. “Thank you, De
n.”

  He blinked back his own tears. “You are welcome, Ari. Now, go and pack. I am honoured to have taught you what I know.”

  “You didn’t teach me half of what you know.” She kissed his cheek.

  “You need to learn your own styles and details on your own. Now get going. Let me know how you do once a month in a public messaging system. Everything you do must be public and above suspicion. You have to remain completely neutral in all you do. Your life depends on it.”

  She swallowed as she realised that the previous scribe had not simply been arrested. “Everything in public. Got it.”

  “They will take care of you when you arrive, and there will be two weeks of training in your responsibility to the throne, psychological evaluations and regular interrogations by a Minder. You are up for it, now go.”

  She picked up her kit and bowed lower than she ever had before. “Thank you for the honour of your instruction. I will take it with me when I go.”

  His sad smile was her last view of him as she turned and headed for her quarters to pack the meagre possessions she had brought with, and the first illuminated page she had gilded.

  The shuttle wasn’t an Alliance vehicle; it was an Imperium vehicle with an honour guard waiting to greet her. A man in an elegantly draped tunic, boots and a richly coloured and embroidered sash stepped out to greet her.

  “Scribe Longway?”

  She inclined her head. “I am.”

  “Please offer confirmation of identity.”

  She set down her bags and peeled off her gloves, displaying the inked fingers to the second knuckle. It appeared they were simply stained blue, but if one looked closely, the details of her planet of origin and training were written in a minute design of elaborate images tattooed into her skin.

  She tucked her gloves into the belt she wore with the tools of her trade in pouches around it and extended her hands to the representative of Hredu.

  He took her right hand and flipped it, reading what he could before dropping it. “Good enough. Come on board.”

  She smiled tightly and pulled her gloves back on. She lifted her bag and full kit, following the dismissive man up the ramp to the ship. The honour guard in black and gold followed her and sealed the ship behind her. One of the men spoke quietly, “Scribe, your quarters are this way.”

  She nodded and followed him into the ship, through a series of halls, and finally, he opened a door and showed her inside.

  “Oh. This is larger than I expected.”

  He quirked his lips. “I get that a lot.”

  She paused and realised that he was laughing at her. “Apologies. This is new to me.”

  “This ship is for you, the VIP quarters are for you, the guard is for you. Lord Dremal is just here to verify your credentials.”

  Ari blinked and jerked her head. “Thank you, Captain.”

  He winked. “Captain Kredik, at your service, Scribe Longway. We will walk with you when you leave the ship and keep Dremal from being a pest. Two guards will be posted outside your door at all times, both here and in the palace.”

  She tilted her head and nodded as she got her security briefing. She was an asset and they were taking possession of her.

  “Within the palace itself, you will be escorted to the audience hall and to all your meals. If you are out of your quarters, you will be under escort. At no time will you be unwatched while you are at the court.”

  “That sounds like fun. I am delighted that it is a two-year contract.”

  “Renewable by mutual consent, but you will have to draw up that contract when you arrive. It is a test, by the way.”

  “Is it, Captain?”

  “It is. If you put anything into it that favours you more than the imperial house, there will be a penalty. It is your job to be completely neutral in matters of contracts, even your own.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because you look like being a scribe means something to you. I am trying to help you achieve the best start I can.”

  He bowed, his helmet obscuring his features. His skin was a green so deep it appeared black, but his eyes were a sparkling gold.

  She couldn’t make out his hair colour, but as long as it wasn’t cotton candy pink, he would probably be very handsome.

  “Were you ordered to do this, Captain Kredik?” She quirked her lips.

  “No, but it was a suggestion made by one of the Guardians on Hredu. A reliable scribe is hard to find, and we wish you to have a long and flourishing career. Enjoy the flight, when you move about the ship, you will do so with guards to get you used to being followed.”

  She flipped her braid over her shoulder to hang down her back. “That sounds like such an attractive way to spend my time. I can hardly wait.”

  “You will also have a bather and a dresser, as well as a makeup specialist. Your time off will be allocated in large chunks, but you will still be guarded during your free hours.”

  “This just gets better and better.”

  The ship throbbed and lifted away from Luna Base.

  The captain inclined his head again, “That is what they all say.”

  He left her in her spacious quarters, and she stared at the closed door before giggling. With a grin that didn’t want to quit, she put her clothing away and sat at the desk, watching vids and reading up on Hredu. The learning flash gave her the language and letterforms, but she had to learn about the people and how their society was constructed. If she could see anything on the scribes, it would be most helpful for her current path.

  Chapter Two

  The captain had not been kidding. When she left her quarters, she had guards with her, when she ate in the galley, when she sat in the observation deck. It didn’t matter where she went in the ship, they followed her without complaint.

  There was a small space where she could exercise, and she did it, trying to ignore her guards. Well, she ignored them on one level and memorized what she could about them so that she could recognize them on sight.

  The scar on one hand, the missing nail on one pinky finger. One held his shoulders lower than the other and the tilt of the head made one look like he was always listening.

  Having a scribe kidnapped was not a thing, but killing one to delay negotiations was not unheard of. On at least one occasion, the assassin had been disguised as a bodyguard.

  She worked out as she had become accustomed to doing when she needed to think, and when she was done, she mopped off the sweat, cleansed the machines and returned to her quarters without a word being spoken to the guards.

  They walked her back through the halls and she hardly knew they were there until Lord Dremal blocked her path. One guard moved to her side and another moved to get between her and Dremal.

  “Out of my way. I wish to speak to the scribe.”

  “Your assignment is complete, you are not authorized to speak with her.” The guard was calm but direct.

  “I have already spoken to her. Why is this different?”

  “You confirmed her as the Imperial Scribe. You know that you do not have access to the Imperial Scribe. Her location has no bearing on this fact.”

  His lordship blinked. “I am in need of a bed companion.”

  The move was so fast that Ari didn’t even see it. One moment Lord Dremal was posing in the hallway, and the next, he was up against the wall, held high and choking with the deep green hand around his throat tightening.

  “Scribe, please come with me.” Her other guard led her away, and he tucked her back in her room. “Good night, Scribe.”

  The dismissal was clear. She headed for the shower and peeled her workout suit off as she went. It was tucked carefully inside the refresher for the night, and she stepped into the sonic shower. With her tattoos, solar was out of the question.

  She unbraided her hair and combed it straight before braiding it up again. A plain shift was her nightgown, and she tucked hersel
f into bed with a tablet, reading up on her new home. Ari had another full day in the ship and tomorrow was script practice.

  Hredu formal script was complicated, but she managed to work for seven hours straight before taking a break. She set her pen and ink aside, rubbing her hands together in a brisk massage to stretch the tendons she had just cramped up.

  She put cream on her hands, rubbing it in with practiced motions before wiping her hands on the neatly folded linen towel at the edge of her workstation.

  Her stomach rumbled and she got to her feet, heading for the door. Her guards were standing there, and she announced, “Time for a meal.”

  They nodded imperceptibly, and she led the way to the galley where a meal was summoned on a ceramic plate with an elegant trim. She wasn’t really hungry, but her body was telling her that she was an idiot, so she ate, drank some water and took a pot of tea back to her room on a tray.

  Once she was back in her quarters, she analyzed her work under a magnifying lens. The works of Shakespeare written in Hredu were lovely if a little stilted. It was her favourite practice medium. She could spot an error in the script right away.

  Her first few pages of Hamlet were stilted, but by the time she got to his famous soliloquy, she was on track.

  Ari folded up her practice work for destruction in a fire and scrawled the word Practice across it. She filed them in her kit and put her tools away. When she woke up, she would be on Hredu and her actual job would begin.

  She curled up on her bed and read a book about the history of the Imperium scribes. It was a fascinating read with scandal on every other page. Salaciousness was not something that the scribes regularly dabbled in, but when they did, they went big.

  Ari set her evening reading aside and pulled the covers over her. Tomorrow, her new life started with all its formality along for the ride.