It was obvious to me that King Jendrish was trying to send me a message. Give me a little show of force to make sure he knew that Optorio was strong. Message received.
To show that I was not a threat and was there not to fight, but to have an open and honest discussion, I left my own personal guard on the ship as I was led to the transport that would take me to the palace. It had been against Tok's strongly worded suggestion, but I did not want to create an atmosphere of tension and hostility right off the bat.
I was smarter than that and knew that more times than not, you got what you wanted when you appeared to be reasonable.
Though I was representing the Unduthian government as a whole, in truth, my services had been retained by the girl's father, Minister of Defense Borask. She was his only concern and was paying me good money to secure her safe return to Unduth. As for the boy, the Unduthian government was paying me to bring him back so they could execute him as a terrorist – in public, no doubt. They did like to put on a show.
I liked working jobs like this – doing the same amount of work for double the money.
I was shown not to the formal throne room where I assumed my visit with the King would be held – but to a small library instead. The door was closed behind me and I found myself in a small, intimate room. A table sat in the middle of the room and shelves lined all four walls. Books took up most of the space, but various other interesting objects – things I wasn't familiar with – lay on others.
The room was dimly lit and carried an interesting scent in the air. It was pipe smoke, but of a blend I couldn't quite identify. A door in the far wall slid open with a whoosh and in stepped the man I'd come to see. I gave him a low, formal bow.
“Please rise,” Jendrish said. “And have a seat.”
“Thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty,” I said. “I appreciate your time and attention to this matter.”
“Of course,” the King replied as he sat down at the table. “Unduth has been an ally for a very long time, and their concerns are my concerns.”
The reference to the longstanding alliance between Unduth and Optorio was for my benefit – and to let me know that the stakes in this situation were very high. He was a clever man. Intelligent. I didn't credit most soldiers with an abundance of brains. Most were content to point at what I told them to point at and pull the trigger. But Jendrish was obviously a very clever man. And I could appreciate that.
“The Unduthian Ministers wanted me to express their gratitude for Optorio's continued friendship.”
One of the palace servants bustled into the room carrying a tray filled with refreshments. She was a good looking girl and as I eyed her up and down, taking all of her in and imagining what I'd like to do with her, she seemed to blush and walked quickly from the room without a word. If the King had noticed, he had the good grace to not say anything about it.
“Please, help yourself,” Jendrish said. “The Optorion wine is especially good.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
It had been a long flight and I was hungry, so I piled some of the food onto a plate and poured myself a glass of the wine – and the King was right, it was very good. Unique. So very different from the wines I was accustomed to on Unduth.
“I trust your flight was smooth, General?” Jendrish asked.
“Indeed,” I replied. “And thank you for the refreshments, they are delicious.”
The King raised his glass to me in response. “So, tell me General, where do the Ministers stand on the situation with Hatare and Byr?”
I chewed the delicacy I'd been snacking on and washed it down with a swig of wine before answering.
“They hope that you will honor our – as you noted, longstanding – alliance and turn over citizens of Unduth without delay, of course, so that they may stand trial for their crimes.”
Jendrish nodded and sipped from his glass of wine. “That is an understandable, even reasonable position to take.”
“Is there another position that can be taken, Your Majesty?”
“I'm a little unclear about something,” Jendrish said. “What exactly are their crimes?”
“The boy is facing very serious charges of sedition and terrorism,” I said. “And he needs to answer for those crimes.”
The King looked at me thoughtfully for a moment. “Of course,” he said. “As you know, we have our own troubles with seditionists, and I take those allegations very seriously indeed. I assume you have evidence that supports his ties to these crimes?”
I took a sip of wine and set the glass back down. “It's not my place to adjudicate his particular case, Your Majesty,” I said. “Personally, I have no stake in that game. I'm here merely to oversee the transfer of the prisoner so that he may stand trial.”
“You're here to negotiate for his release,” Jendrish said. “At least, I believe that's what you meant, since it's not a given that I will allow him to be taken yet.”
“Of course,” I replied.
Jendrish was testing my patience. He knew that under terms of the planetary alliance, he was obligated to send a wanted fugitive back to stand trial. And he had to know that I'd been properly briefed on terms of the alliance before setting foot on Optorio. Which meant that he was angling for something.
“We're both soldiers, Your Majesty,” I said. “I'm not particularly well-versed in the language of politics and diplomacy. May we speak freely?”
Jendrish nodded. “It would be preferred.”
“Very well,” I replied. “The terms of your alliance obligate you to send the boy back. You know this of course,” I said. “It's not a matter of you allowing me to take them back. It is your obligation to do so.”
Jendrish looked at me but said nothing. He merely sipped from his glass of wine and waited for me to continue.
“So, what is it you're hoping to gain by playing this game?”
He set his glass down and smiled at me. “It's not what I'm hoping to gain, General,” he said. “It's what I'm hoping to secure for both Hatare and Byr.”
“And what might that be?”
“Freedom for the girl,” he said bluntly. “She should not be forced into a marriage she does not want.”
“It is not my place to say otherwise,” I said. “Nor is it yours.”
“True,” he replied. “But I wasn't finished. I also want to ensure fair treatment for the boy. I happen to be convinced of his innocence and I will not send him back to Unduth only to see him executed because his guilt was predetermined.”
I sighed. “With all due respect,” I said, “You have no leg to stand on here. You have no standing to demand these things of the Unduthian Ministry.”
He shrugged. “Actually, I do have standing.”
“And what might that be?”
“Under terms of our planetary alliance,” he said, “Unduthian soldiers are not permitted upon my soil without my prior knowledge and consent.”
“I don't unders – ”
“See, I know for a fact that the Unduthian Ministry has had soldiers on Optorio searching for Hatare and Byr,” he said. “Furthermore, I know for a fact that some Unduthian soldiers – attached to your outfit, coincidentally enough – took part in the battle in the plaza that brought those two to me.”
I felt my face growing warm knowing that he was right. I'd taken measures to hide the identities of my men, but he'd obviously been able to discover it anyway.
I cleared my throat. “I don't know what – ”
“General,” Jendrish interrupted me, “as you noted, we're soldiers. Lying to me is far from honorable, so please do not insult my intelligence. I know it was your men in the plaza that night. They were there to pay the rebels a tremendous amount of money in exchange for Hatare and Byr. So, not only were Unduthian soldiers on Optorion soil – in clear violation of our treaty – but they were helping fund terrorism on my planet. I'd say that gives me plenty of standing to make some demands of my own.”
Jendrish was a shrewd and clev
er man. He'd grown into his role on the throne far more capably than I thought he would when I'd first learned of his coronation. He had me – and the Unduthian Ministry – dead to rights and he knew it.
“Here is what is going to happen,” Jendrish pressed. “If the Ministry accepts my proposals, I can overlook the very clear and very serious violations of our treaty. Call it a good faith gesture. The last thing I want is to have what has been a very good relationship between our two worlds for a very long time to be – damaged.”
“I believe the Ministry will feel the same way about maintaining solid relations with Optorio,” I said.
I took a sip of my wine, feeling utterly humiliated and angry. My reputation was going to take a big hit because of this fiasco. I knew the message I was going to have to deliver to the Ministry wasn't going to be received well. It was my fault we were in this predicament – even though I was operating under their orders. But they wouldn't see it as anything but my failing.
Jendrish nodded. “I am happy to hear that.”
“I will, of course, need to speak with the Ministry about your – proposals.”
“Of course,” he replied. “Also, please let them know that to see that my – proposals – are kept, I intend to send a delegation headed by my wife to oversee the transfer.”
I rubbed my jawline, feeling my irritation with the man growing. He was really pushing it – but knew he had the advantage. It was a smart play – press while you have the high ground. It's what I would have done – which earned him a measure of respect in my eyes. But, it was still irritating.
“I will inform the Ministry,” I said. “Is there anything else?”
He shook his head. “No, I believe that will be all.”
I inclined my head. “Very good. I will go back to my ship and place the call to the Ministry to discuss your proposals. We can meet again tomorrow?”
“I'll be waiting.”
Chapter Eight
Hatare
“I don't want to go back,” I said, a feeling of dread shooting through my heart.
Riley looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. “And I don't want to have to take you back,” she said. “But Jendrish has to look out for the well-being of his people. And there was a very real possibility that had he not agreed to this, it could have led to war.”
I sat next to Byr who sat hunched over with his head down. I could see the fear and uncertainty in his face. Reaching out, I took his hand and tried to give him a reassuring squeeze. He didn't respond. Not that I could blame him, really. We were being sent back to a planet where he was going to be tried and very likely executed as a terrorist.
My stomach was in knots and my heart pounded inside of me just thinking about it. But Riley said she did have some good news to share with us. We'd gotten settled into a comfortable cabin on the transport that was taking us back to Unduth and she'd plied us with food and drink – neither of which, Byr had touched. He'd barely spoken since Jendrish had broken the news to us.
While I was hurt and angry, I also couldn't blame him. Optorio was bigger than Byr and me. And while it would have been nice to see him grant us sanctuary, Riley was right – the welfare of his people came first and foremost. I didn't have to like it, but it was something I could understand.
Not only that, but the idea of innocent people dying in a war – because of us – didn't particularly sit well with me either.
The transport had broken the Optorion atmosphere and we were well on our way to Unduth by the time Riley had joined us in the cabin. I could see that she felt miserable about what was happening – but like her husband, she was in a no-win situation.
She took a seat at the table and I poured a glass of wine for her. As I watched the thick liquid filling the glass, I idly wondered if that was the last time I was ever going to taste the wine I'd grown rather fond of. She took a sip as she settled back in her seat and looked at the two of us.
“So, Jendrish was able to secure certain considerations for your return,” she said. “And as much as I hate that you have to go back at all, at least it will be on favorable terms.”
“What terms?” Byr asked, his voice full of bitterness and anger.
“Well, first of all, the Unduthian Ministry has insisted that you stand trial for the charges levied against you,” she said. “But, you will get a fair trial – and I have every confidence that your innocence will be proven.”
“A fair trial,” Byr scoffed. “Right.”
“I know you're skeptical,” she said. “But you will be properly represented. I'm here to make sure that the terms of this agreement are met to my satisfaction. If there is even the slightest whiff of impropriety, you will be coming back to Optorio with me.”
“Which is all fine and good,” Byr countered. “But you're going to have to leave sometime. And then what?”
“I will have certain – safeguards – in place to make sure the terms of this agreement are upheld,” she said.
“What sort of safeguards?” I asked.
She gave me a small smile. “The kind I can't really talk about. But rest assured that I will be monitoring everything that happens here. There's no way in hell I'm throwing you to the wolves and abandoning you.”
I gave her a soft smile I hoped looked more genuine than it felt. “I will feel better knowing you will be keeping an eye on us.”
Byr said nothing, his eyes still focused on the floor beneath his feet. I couldn't imagine what was going through his mind as he sat there, knowing he was going to be standing trial for crimes I knew he didn't commit. Couldn't have committed.
She reached across the table and took my hand, squeezing it firmly. “I like you, Hatare. I like you a lot. And I'm going to do everything in my power to see that you live the life you want to live.”
“What is going to happen to me?” I asked softly. “Once we get back. I can't imagine that my father is going to be in a very forgiving mood.”
She sighed and looked down at our hands. “I don't know what's going to happen with your father,” she said. “But I do know that Jendrish was able to secure an agreement on your behalf. You are not going to be forced into the Academy, and you will not be forced to marry somebody you do not want to marry.”
My smile was weak, but I felt a genuine blossom of hope in my chest. “Really?”
Riley nodded. “Yes, really.”
“How are they going to enforce that,” Byr said, looking up at me. “Once Riley leaves Unduth, how can they guarantee your father isn't going to pack you up and ship you off to the Academy anyway?”
I could see the hurt and fear in his eyes – fear of losing me. I knew he thought that once we returned to Unduth, that things would go back to being the way they were on our world and that we would be kept apart by our class differences.
But I wasn't about to let that happen. I squeezed his hand and looked deeply into his eyes. “Do you trust me?” I asked.
He cocked his head, clearly confused by my question. “Of course I trust you.”
“Then trust in me when I say that they are not going to keep us apart,” I said. “If my father breaks his word and sends me off to the Academy, trust me when I say that I will find my way out and find my way back to you. We will be together no matter what world we're on and nobody is going to prevent that from happening.”
I looked at Riley – tears shimmered in her eyes and she smiled at me. She'd obviously seen what was building between Byr and I long before either of us had. She'd fostered and encouraged it to grow. And because of her, we'd found our way to one another – and had overcome our fears – together.
He gave me a small smile in return, but I didn't see a whole lot of hope in his eyes. Of course, though I talked a good game, I had no idea what was going to happen once we got back to Unduth – and I was forced to go back home to my mother and father. About the only thing I did know was that they weren't going to pack me up and ship me off without a fight. If they thought they could force me into the life they wa
nted me to live despite giving his word that they wouldn't, they were going to have a real big fight on their hands.
“Anyway, I wanted to let you two know what was going on,” she said. “We'll probably be getting to Unduth soon, so I want to give you both some time alone together.”
I looked up at her and felt a genuine gratitude in my heart for her. “Thank you, Riley. For everything.”
She looked at us and gave me a warm smile. “Don't say that like this is the last time we're going to see each other, Hatare,” she said. “Because it's not. I meant it when I said I really like you. And I will see you again soon.”
With one last smile, she turned and walked out of the cabin, leaving the two of us alone. I turned to Byr and squeezed his hand, trying to get him to look up at me. Reluctantly, he did and the look in his eyes broke my heart. There was little more than hopelessness and despair. He seemed resigned to a fate that ended with his death.
“Look into my eyes,” I said. “Look deeply. Tell me what you see.”
He looked for a long moment and then shook his head. “What am I supposed to be seeing?”
“You're supposed to be seeing how much I care for you, Byr,” I said. “I – I love you.”
A look of absolute surprise crossed his face. He looked at me like I'd sprouted another arm out of the top of my head or something. I couldn't believe those words came out of my mouth – but I couldn't deny how I felt, either. And what I had said was truly how I felt. I loved him. I loved Byr.
But I was scared putting that out there like that, not knowing how he felt about me. I had an idea that he felt much the same way, but until he said it, I couldn't know for sure. And it made me nervous. I stared at him, waiting for him to say something. Hoping it would be what I wanted to hear.
“I love you too, Hatare,” Byr said, his eyes wide, as if he couldn't believe he was saying it either. “But the way we feel about each other isn't going to save my life and it's not going to prevent your father from sending you to the Academy, either.”
“Maybe not, but I have faith in Riley,” I said. “I have faith that she's going to be able to make the Ministry as well as my father hold to their word.”
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