by R. J. Blain
“That is the Blade Clan way.”
“The Blade Clan way needs a little refinement in terms of teaching its children it’s possible to show affection without being embarrassed over it.”
“Her tiger seems to be doing an acceptable job of teaching her all she needs to know. He must earn her affections. That is the Blade Clan way, just as her mother taught me. I would not rob my daughter of her chance to learn the joys of braving a difficult road. She values affection now enough to change the world for those she has learned to love. Why would you wish anything but the masterpiece she has become? She is my best work.”
I groped for the nearest throw pillow, pulled it out from under me, and flung it at my father. He sidestepped, resulting in the pillow smacking into Anatoly. My tiger sighed and regarded me with a raised brow. As I’d failed to dodge the conversation through sleep, I sat up in the chair and shrugged, wrapping in the blanket to keep warm.
Anatoly smirked.
“If you two could stop flirting, that would be great,” my aunt complained.
“They are young and in love. Let them be young and in love,” my father replied, releasing my tiger and shooing him out of the corner. “Behave yourself. Make yourself useful and serve as a living chair for my daughter’s warmth and amusement.”
If my father was trying to earn my approval, he was doing an excellent job. My tiger wasted no time obeying, and I slithered off my chair long enough for Anatoly to sit down before taking over his lap and making myself comfortable.
“And that is how you keep the young ones quiet for a few minutes. Managing an amorous young man with a sickly lady is simple. Give him a job for her comfort, and he will do his job in such a way that best pleases her. And he is smart enough to know not to cross me when it comes to my daughter. I will crush him should he not treat her like the treasure she is.”
My aunt tossed her head back and laughed. “Of all the things I expected, I didn’t think you’d be a doting parent. Four months ago, I would have laughed if you had suggested she actually crawl onto Nate’s lap of her own free will. But it makes sense. There is no way Jesse could have become as caring a person without some form of influence on her at an early age. She has always been compassionate, even in her choice of targets.”
“So, now that the tigers will be quiet for a few minutes, tell me about this weapon. While I was tailing my daughter, I missed her direct acquisition of it, and she has been silent on its nature. I saw how badly it sickened her. The Hope Diamond held her at death’s door, and it did what it could for her. It still does. But she is very ill, and her body does not recover as it should.”
“It came from an energy source we use in the city to generate electricity. The mystics call it nuclear power. It requires a mystic to shield because it emits something they call radiation, and we require the mystics to swear an oath to keep how it’s shielded a secret. We know how toxic it is, but mystic shielding is relatively simple and does an excellent job. That said, we’re taking steps to prevent this from happening again. It’ll change how we generate power for the cities, but we had no idea it could be weaponized so much even without combustion—and I don’t want to even imagine what it could have done if combustion worked.”
“May we never find out. I believe the Hope Diamond, while it is confused on what it needs to do to help my daughter heal, understands how badly it damaged her. It is more thirsty for vengeance than even Sunder.”
“This is the one civil war nobody wanted except the rebels, who couldn’t accept the majority’s decision. I have always made certain everyone’s vote counted. I have vetoed every law that would make it harder for every educated voice to be heard. I have put steps in place to help make certain anyone who wanted an education could get one. I have struggled to maintain a tolerable neutrality. I have fought to keep this country unified. I gave the man who came before me a funeral worthy of his station despite the circumstances that led to its necessity. I have dedicated much of my time making certain the surviving residents of Fort Lauderdale can adapt and learn about the world they now live in. When their ruby city first awoke, I feared the Hope Diamond had done something crueler than letting them sleep, but I find it has birthed a new hope for people despite the grief it has created.” Sighing, my aunt shook her head. “I thought about resigning. Can you guess what I was told?”
I could guess, and I regarded my lecherous rabbit of an uncle through narrowed eyes. “If you haven’t already, you have my blessings to spank her for that nonsense. It sounds like she needs it. I hope you told her she should continue to allow the people to vote as always. That’s our voice.”
“I did, indeed, ensure she had her attitude appropriately adjusted. I will spare you from any discussions of how I adjusted her attitude, but I took care of it.”
My aunt bowed her head. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”
“A rebellion of a few thousand who wouldn’t be happy no matter what you do is no reason for you to resign. You can’t carry the burden of their guilt, and there’s only so much you alone can do. I will remind you of this as often as possible. When the people no longer want you as the President of the United States, they will make their voices known. You have a clear majority, babe. There was nothing close about the last election, and we all know those who nominated themselves for your job did so for there to be options on the ballot. You have never controlled our people through violence or the threat of violence, and a rebellion founded on such violence because they couldn’t win through diplomacy is a rebellion unfit to serve the people.”
It amazed me someone like my aunt could suffer from doubt and uncertainty, too.
Anatoly tucked the blanket more securely around me. “Have the masterminds been eliminated?”
My aunt muttered curses and shrugged. “We think so. Ferdinand, Marie, my brother, and his husband were the primary conspirators, as they had the connections needed to infiltrate the government for the tools required—and the mercenary guilds. Without my brother, they lost a major player in the conspiracy. Had Ferdinand been a little more sane, things may have been different, but Ferdinand couldn’t control the rebellion, nor could Marie. Marie’s role was to keep Todd from functioning at his best and leave Lancers’ weak and ripe for takeover or dissolution. She failed at that, because she forgot Todd is not afraid of making difficult choices.”
Todd wasn’t afraid of sticking with his friends until the bitter end, too. “She wanted Todd out of politics and the government, and she wanted the guild to go to someone else.”
“She was old, stupid, and selfish,” Gentry announced. “And her love of being the queen of her herd far surpassed her love of Todd and her children. Todd was blind to it because he wanted to believe Marie was happy, and she played at that with him around. But Kali caught on, and she started working in the background without Todd’s knowledge. She convinced the stronger mares of the herd to keep an eye on Marie because ‘she was concerned.’ When everything started to happen, the herd had figured out something was seriously amiss—and they were ready for her death. Not at the exact moment you killed her, Jesse, but they figured Todd would the instant he figured out the truth. Herd justice can be brutal, and a mare who betrays the herd faces exile or death. And your place as an honorary herd member was never revoked for all you’re Nate’s mate.”
Anatoly rested his chin on the top of my head. “I told Todd if he hurt her feelings revoking her status, I’d beat him, harness him up, and use him as a plow horse.”
Anatoly would. “You’re terrible. You’ll make Todd cry if you do that.”
“Gentry promised he’d help.”
When I regarded my uncle, he shrugged. “It’s true. Todd knows better than to insult my niece like that. Anyway, he wasn’t offended, so don’t worry about that. We were more worried about getting you back.” The look my uncle shot my aunt promised some form of retribution or another. “And if you could stop asking her to be an assassin, that would be nice!”
“But
I’m a good assassin. I changed my mind about payment, however. Pay me. You owe me for two bodies.”
My aunt flipped my uncle off. “I’ll have a contract drawn and approved for both kills, and I’ll add a bonus for the disposal of that damned weapon. I’ll notify the appropriate parties I had requested your assistance with the situation. And, as it will annoy my brother into roaring and terrifying the Secret Service agents, I’ll have him run the contract through Dawnfire.”
“Make Gentry negotiate in my favor.”
My aunt shook her head. “That’s harsh, but okay. Gentry, we’ll have a fight over it tonight. Sound good?”
“When you should be sleeping and taking it easy on your leg?”
“It’s fine. It’s barely sore, and the exercise today was good for me. I found today’s exercise to be very agreeable albeit a little bloody.”
When I thought about it, my relatives were rather bloodied. “Maybe you should go take a bath and stop dirtying the study. Especially the guild leader, as his mercenaries will get cranky if their guild leader looks like he was butchered.”
“I got a scratch or two, and that’s it. We’re just cleaning up at this point, and everyone knows it. I’m fine.”
“Your clothing isn’t. Don’t you practically live here? Get cleaned up, take my aunt with you, and deal with that lecherous pervert of an uncle, too.”
“I make one comment, and I’m labeled as a lecherous pervert for life,” the First Gentleman complained. “You’re a naughty little girl, and I’m going to have a round with you on the mat later.”
“To be fair, it was more than one, and you were strutting around like a peacock,” my aunt muttered. “And she’s not wrong. And you won’t have a round with her on the mat until she gets the all clear, so you’re just going to have to wait for your next beating. But I approve of the match, as you’re a lazy rabbit who needs more exercise.”
“You’re mean. I’m the First Gentleman! Someone here should treat me with respect.”
“You’re a perverted First Gentleman who can join me in the shower. If you want respect, you’ll have to go earn it from somewhere else. You’re barking up the wrong tree for that here.”
“I can live with my status as a perverted, lecherous First Gentleman,” he announced, heading for the door and dragging my aunt with him.
Gentry laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t let them trick you, Jesse. They’re both exhausted, and while they’ll take a shower together, they’ll probably relocate to a tub and take a nap, where someone in the Secret Service will keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t drown. A soak will do them both good, as will some downtime. I’m fresh compared to them, so I’ll get cleaned up and start making sense of everything that’s happened today. We’ll need to compare notes. If we missed any major players, I want to know about it.”
“I’m not sure I can help you with that, but I’ll tell you everything from when we got separated.”
“Assuming you are not napping as soon as things become quiet,” my father said. “Where would I go about finding something appropriate for her to eat?”
Gentry went to the intercom, pressed a button, and said, “I need a mystic healer and someone to bring a pair of hungry tigers and a guest dinner to the private study, please. That damned niece of mine might eat us out of the guild this time.”
The speaker buzzed before someone laughed and replied, “I’ll let the kitchen known, and it’ll be twenty for the mystic unless it’s critical. Please do not eat in the private study, sir. We have a dining hall for a reason. Move your dining activities there.”
“Twenty is fine. I’ll even think about moving us to the dining hall.” Gentry released the intercom button and regarded my father with a solemn expression and nodded. “Don’t let the tigers escape. They’re slippery, and they love giving us gray hairs.”
“All children do. I think I can keep track of them. She is tired and will not wish to move, and he has her where he can defend her and keep her close. All I have to do is look threatening and stab anyone I do not approve of approaching my children. I will enjoy my duties.”
“And on that happy note, I’m going to shower. Try not to eat me out of the entire guild, Jesse. Nate, if anyone looks at Jesse wrong, rip them to pieces if your father-in-law doesn’t get to them first.”
“With delight.”
“Jesse, stay put.”
Between Anatoly and the blanket, I’d warmed up, and I saw no reason to move. “Don’t get me in trouble with my father. I’m not supposed to be lazy.”
“You can be lazy for now,” my father replied. “You walked twice as far as I thought you would manage, so you get to be rewarded tonight for good behavior. If you manage to stay awake until evening, you will be rewarded some tomorrow, too.”
“It’s a trap,” I muttered.
Anatoly chuckled. “It always is, isn’t it?”
“If I manage to stay awake until this evening, I get tomorrow off, to lounge around, eat, and watch you beat everyone else up.”
“You will walk a minimum of one mile to continue your physical therapy, but you can have a day off from sword practice and other exercises.”
“With a maximum of a mile and a half unless I decide otherwise,” I countered.
“Deal.” My father rubbed his hands together. “That will give me extra time with my new son tomorrow.”
“I feel like I’ve been tossed under a carriage here, but pride demands I put up a good fight. I’ll help you stay awake, Jesse. You deserve some pampering, and we can make your walking time a trip to our house to see what’s left of it.”
Tomorrow was going to be a good day, and I looked forward to it.
Chapter Twenty-One
I needed to stop lying to myself. No matter what I did, tomorrow wouldn’t be a good day.
My mother stormed Dawnfire, waged war against the mercenaries, my aunt, and my uncles, and won without breaking a sweat. Within ten minutes of her arrival, she took the place over. From the safety of the dinning hall table I’d claimed as my territory, I nibbled on my steak. My run-in with Ferdinand’s weapon hadn’t done my teeth any favors; I counted my blessings I still had my teeth, but it hurt to chew on most things, resulting in a slow, awkward battle with anything that wasn’t soup.
I could go the rest of my life without choking down any more damned soup, although a bowl waited for my attention, my father’s contribution to my meal.
If my father found out I didn’t want to eat the damned soup, he’d force it down my throat after sitting on me. As I didn’t want anyone sitting on me, I made certain to have a sip of soup between tentative bites of my steak.
Henry and Cleo showed up in my mother’s wake, shooed Anatoly out of his seat, and flanked me.
“I will kill you both if you stop me from having this steak.” I pointed at the steak. “This is the first time the dictator has allowed me to try to eat steak.”
My father glanced my way and raised a brow. “And I only allowed it because I knew you would have two mystics available to fix your teeth should you break them indulging in food you shouldn’t have.”
“It annoys me none of us realized Miracle suffered from radiation sickness, but now that we know the full story, it makes sense. And yes, radiation from the nuclear power source is what has made you sick. There may be other things, too, but it’s probably severe radiation sickness. That’s why mystics shield it at the power generation plant. Even knowing what was wrong, we wouldn’t have been able to do much for Miracle,” Cleo said taking my plate of steak and pushing it aside. “You will get that back in three minutes if you don’t argue with me. We can handle treatments for humans because we know what it does to humans. And we’re not really trained for the extensive care of horses. Most just put the animal down rather than try to do organ restoration. But your Miracle is your Miracle, and that means we were going to do whatever was needed for her. We value our lives. Now, open your mouth and don’t bite me, or it’ll take a lot longer than three m
inutes to strengthen your teeth and repair the nerve damage so chewing doesn’t hurt.”
If having Cleo’s fingers in my mouth meant I could eat steak, or anything else for that matter, I’d tolerate it for far longer than two or three minutes. I turned my head and opened my mouth.
Cleo pressed his fingers to my tongue and pressed down. “You’re a hot mess as usual, Jesse. Henry? Pick your favorite disaster.”
Anatoly cleared his throat and presented the Hope Diamond. “Perhaps you could teach this thing how to help you. It likes her, and it’s the reason she’s still among the land of the living.”
Without any evidence of fear, the donkey snatched the stone with his free hand. Unlike the times he’d tried to remove the necklace, the Starfall stone didn’t zap him. He frowned, regarding the stone with a considering expression. “All right. Henry, take this and see if you can figure out how to work on her organ failure. I’ll take care of her teeth so she can eat without it being an exercise in self-torture. Still, I’m impressed you wanted that steak bad enough to deal with that pain, Jesse.”
I pointed at his hand in my mouth.
“You can talk after I’m done.”
Right. Henry pressed his hand to the middle of my back while Cleo poked around in my mouth. I’d been to a dentist a few times, although I hadn’t gone often enough to make anyone happy. I’d probably get a scolding and an appointment assuming the donkey could salvage what was left of my aching teeth.
“Henry, numb her mouth for me when you get a moment. You’re better at it than I am. I’d rather she not scream when I fix this mess, and I have to work on her nerves.”
Henry moved his hand from my back to my face, cupping my cheek. Moments later, my entire face tingled. “If you’ve got to work on her nerves, I’ll maintain it while you work. I can take care of my share of the work while she’s happily eating as many steaks as she can cram into her stomach. Her stomach is the only organ that’s fine, by the way. It was the first thing I checked.”