The Star Bell (The Cendrillon Cycle Book 3)

by Stephanie Ricker

  “Best believe it. I know the ex-cinders will want to get together to hash out what we’re going to do. Want to swing by my place this evening? I have a feeling everyone will be there.”

  He smiled that beautiful smile of his. “Wild hunds couldn’t keep me away.”

  As he walked away, Elsa saw that Volkova had left as well, no doubt to return to the Strelka and brief her own people. Bruno was lingering at the end of the corridor, waiting for Elsa and trying to look as if he weren’t.

  She walked down the hall to join him. “So you and Volkova have made peace,” she said, making it not quite a question.

  He made a noncommittal gesture with one hand. “It seems so.”

  She eyed him. He didn’t seem depressed or anxious, as well he might, given the situation. He seemed more—she struggled for the right word—vibrant. His mouth was set in a firm line, but he seemed to stand taller, somehow, and there was a brightness in his eyes she hadn’t seen before.

  “You’re glad of this chance, aren’t you?” she asked, not sure she understood why.

  He ducked his head. “Well, yeah. I was so happy to come back to the Fleet. You just don’t even know how good it was to be back.” He looked up at her with a raw honesty that was also new to her. Bruno wasn’t one for vulnerability. “But I felt guilty. I couldn’t fully enjoy it, not with the knowledge I had.” He shrugged. “Maybe some of my anger towards Volkova was anger at myself for not sucking it up and rejecting the Fleet completely. Anyway, it feels really good to be doing the right thing.” He sobered. “I’ll be sorry to see us all broken up, though.”

  Elsa frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, Jaq has family to take care of back on New Gaul. If he’s not getting a paycheck in the Fleet, he’ll have to go elsewhere. And Marraine was awfully quiet in there. I’ll be surprised if she continues any involvement with the Fleet. I’m not sure what Gus will do; he’s a wily one.”

  Elsa hadn’t considered any of that, and it floored her. Once again she hadn’t realized the full repercussions of getting what she desired. Justice for the Tremaine Mining Company meant breaking up her surrogate family.

  “You okay?” Bruno asked when she didn’t reply.

  She blinked. “Oh, yes. I just…I knew there would be changes. I just hadn’t thought about us all ending up in different places.”

  Bruno smiled, still a rare thing. “You’ll still have me.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She hugged him suddenly, the fresh tingle of tears behind her eyes. He swayed backwards slightly with the impact and stroked her hair with one hand.

  She pulled away a few moments later, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Thank you, Bruno. I’m so grateful for you in my life.”

  His eyes were warm with affection. “Runs both ways, girl. You good?”

  She nodded and sniffled. “Yeah. I am. I have to go talk to someone, though. See you later?”

  “Of course.” He lifted a hand in farewell and rounded the corner of the corridor.

  Elsa turned back towards the conference room, wiping the last traces of tears from her face. When she reached the door, she hesitated a moment, screwing up her courage. Then she took a deep breath and walked in, determined to do something to help the captain if she was able. She could relate to his feeling of loss.

  Tsarevich was seated where she had left him.

  She was opening her mouth to speak when she realized he wasn’t alone. Marraine stood at the far end of the room, obviously in conversation with the captain.

  “Oh,” Elsa exclaimed, startled. “I’m sorry to interrupt.” How had Marraine even managed to slip back in here without Elsa seeing? There was still much Elsa didn’t know about the fay woman.

  “Please stay, Elsa,” Marraine said in her musical voice. “I was just outlining a proposal to the captain.”

  Elsa glanced at Tsarevich, but his expression was unreadable. “What sort of proposal?”

  “Marraine has suggested that the…dissatisfied members of the Fleet gather at her home planet of Hayzeltry,” Tsarevich replied, sounding less bleak than he had earlier.

  Marraine nodded. ‘It’s the closest thing we have to neutral space. It’s protected by treaty, and neither Demesne nor Common Union are permitted to enter. It would be a safe place for the mutineers to gather.”

  Tsarevich winced at the word “mutineers,” and Elsa understood the feeling.

  “Will your people go for that?” she asked Marraine. “The last time they got involved, they were caught in the crossfire. I would’ve thought you’d want nothing to do with us, given this latest information.”

  “I believe they will see this as an opportunity to foster relations with the science-loving, exploratory part of the Common Union,” Marraine replied. “At least, I think I can convince them to see things that way.”

  Elsa narrowed her eyes. “Just how big of a deal are you on your homeworld?”

  Marraine merely smiled.

  Tsarevich raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. “I’m willing to discuss it with your leadership, of course. We’re rather homeless just now. I don’t know where else the Sovereign and the Strelka could put in to port, once this news breaks.”

  Marraine smiled cheerfully. “I think we can accommodate you. And this way you’ll get to see Hayzeltry again. We’ll have to take you on another riverwhale cruise,” she added, mischief twinkling in her eyes.

  Tsarevich paled. “We’ll, uh, we’ll see about that. Let me know when you’ve contacted your government, and we’ll arrange a time to negotiate.”

  Marraine nodded and slipped away, flicking an unreadable glance at Elsa.

  “Do you think it’ll work?” Tsarevich asked Elsa when the fay had gone.

  She sighed. “I hope so. Marraine is idealistic…but then, she knows her people best. It’s worth a shot.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant. Do you think this—” He gestured vaguely with a hand. “—this mutiny or whatever it is we’re doing, do you think it has a chance to actually work?” He looked up at her. Elsa had never seen much of a family resemblance between him and Karl until that moment.

  “I do,” she answered. “And so do you, or you wouldn’t have let us talk you around earlier.” She smiled. “I’m not so naïve as to think my impassioned plea, as your son called it, would’ve done anything against Tsarevich stubbornness unless you had a good mind to make the right decision in the first place.” She opened her mouth and closed it again with a click, aghast at her own audacity in speaking thus to the famed captain. Where had that come from?

  He looked just as surprised. Then he chuckled—a deep, resonant sound. “I can see why Karl likes you,” he said.

  Bold though she might be at the moment, Elsa wasn’t quite feeling up to discussing her relationship status with Captain Tsarevich. She moved on with what she had intended to say when she entered the conference room. “I know this is not what either of us had planned,” she said. “Both of us wanted that year-long exploration mission so badly we could taste it, and now neither of us will have that opportunity.”

  She sat down so she could look him in the eye. He met her gaze squarely. “But we’re preserving something far more important than the Fleet’s tradition of exploration,” she continued. “We’re preserving the Fleet’s integrity.” She leaned back slightly and smiled. “That sounds melodramatic. But it’s true nonetheless. In future years, the Fleet will look back on this act and recognize it for the beginning of a vital reform.” She grinned. “We’re making history, Captain.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Been there, done that. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

  “Whatever, you love it.” The words slipped out before she could stop them, and she stared at him in horror.

  He laughed good and hard this time, shoulders shaking. “Hoo boy,” he said, wiping his eyes, “you’re good for us. Keeping the Tsarevich men from taking themselves too seriously is a hefty job, but it seems you’re u
p for it.” He heaved himself out of his chair and stuck out his hand.

  Elsa didn’t know what else to do, so she shook it.

  “Excellent work,” Tsarevich said. He turned and strode from the room. The doors slid closed behind him.

  Elsa stood alone in the conference room, a little dazed. The King of the Stars had just paid her a compliment.

  That evening, Elsa waited in her cabin for the others to arrive. She had rested during the afternoon in the quiet refuge of her quarters, but she was still bone-weary. The Sovereign’s hallways had been crowded all day, buzzing with conversation as the crew debated what to do. She overheard a few people talk about leaving the ship. It saddened her, but she wasn’t surprised. There was no telling what would happen as a result of the mutiny.

  And she had received a message from Godfrey. She read it again on her commlink as she waited.

  “Hi Elsa. I heard the news. I wanted to tell you: I’m leaving the Fleet. I don’t want to be caught up in whatever political drama unfolds. I never really fit in on the Strelka, and it’s time to move on. Big changes are on the viewscreen, and the Fleet’s history might be altering, but nothing really changes for the common folk like you and me. Serve the Common Union or serve an independent Fleet, but either way, we serve. Not this guy! It was great to run into you again after so many years. I truly do wish you the best. If you change your mind about staying with the Fleet, look me up. I’m heading to Atthis. Safe voyage. – Godfrey.”

  It wasn’t a shock; Godfrey had made no secret of his displeasure with the Fleet, even before anyone heard the news about the mining company. She did wonder, though—would her own ex-cinder family be broken up? She knew Bruno’s decision was made, but she truly didn’t know what the others would do.

  Her own decisions in recent months had been based on not leaving her family. If they scattered, what would she do?

  She shook her head. Much as she loved her adopted family, she couldn’t let that love dictate her actions. She would leave them if she had to, if it meant bringing down the Tremaine Mining Company. There were larger things at stake now. And, she was coming to realize, there was a difference between enjoying the support of a family, even if the members were far apart, and using that family as a crutch to avoid growing up.

  She had made her own decision. It was up to the others to make theirs.

  Her door chimed.

  Marraine, Jaq, and Gus walked in together. Jaq threw himself on the couch, and Marraine perched next to him. Gus sank heavily into one of Elsa’s chairs.

  “Stars, what a day,” he said, resting his hands on his knees. Jaq just groaned.

  The door chimed again, and Bruno shambled in. When he sat down on the couch next to Jaq, his knees creaked.

  “I ran into Hon and Louise on the way over,” he said. “Do you mind if they come over too?” he asked Elsa. “Louise says she’ll make Hon behave.”

  Elsa hesitated. She had hoped it would be a small gathering, and she didn’t have much patience for Hon’s gruffness. But this affected everyone, and she would need to tell the engineer and the geologist her plans sooner or later. “Sure, call them over,” she said.

  Bruno sent them a quick message, and Elsa’s door chimed again a moment later before Karl strode in.

  His eyes sought her out upon entering the room, and he gave her a weary but nonetheless lovely smile before dropping into a chair.

  They all knew why they were there, but no one was willing to start.

  Elsa sighed. Might as well get it over with. “Well.” She finally cracked the silence. “What do you guys think?”

  Gus avoided her gaze. “There’s a lot to think about. Bruno, what are you going to do?”

  Bruno leaned back on the couch, long legs outstretched in front of him. “Mutiny with Volkova and Tsarevich. Seems the right thing to do, though I won’t judge anyone who chooses otherwise, knowing that it means giving up so much.”

  Elsa’s door chimed again. “Come in,” she called.

  Louise entered, moving surprisingly fast on her crutches, with Hon shuffling behind her rather shyly. Gus and Jaq slid off the couch to sit on the floor, Jaq cross-legged, Gus with his feet out straight in front of him.

  “Sorry to crash your party,” Louise said, nodding her thanks to the young men for the recently vacated seat. “Sure you don’t mind if we join you?”

  “Not at all,” Elsa reassured her. She quickly made introductions.

  Gus resumed the conversation, tipping his chin toward Karl. “What’s your plan?”

  Karl exhaled noisily. “Mutiny too.” He rubbed the back of his neck as if it pained him. “Like Bruno says, it seems like the right thing to do.”

  Jaq looked up at Elsa. “And you? What will you do, Elsa?”

  Everyone was watching her, which was a little unsettling. She squared her shoulders. “Mutiny. I’m staying aboard the Sovereign.”

  She saw Karl relax in the chair beside her, and she realized she had never said she intended to stay aboard ship, only that she would rebel.

  Jaq nodded slowly.

  Marraine spoke up. “I’ve told Jaq and Gus about my proposal, to bring the frigates to Hayzeltry until we see what the consequences of these actions are. My first conversation with our planetary council was promising, and I’m confident that my homeworld will be the Sovereign’s next destination.” She glanced at Jaq, the affection in her gaze evident in spite of her otherworldly features. “I’ll go home with the Sovereign. I’ve wandered enough.”

  “Jaq?” Elsa asked, turning to the young man. “What about you? I know you have family to look after so it’s not an easy call.”

  He reached behind him to link fingers with the fay. “I’m going to Hayzeltry with Marraine. I’ll stay with the mutineers as long as I can, but if there’s no money coming in, I’ll have to find work on Hayzeltry.” He shrugged. “Maybe my family would want to move there, if the fay are up for it. Probably cheaper than living on New Gaul, and it’d be nice to have all the Perraults on one planet for a change. I can tell you this: I’m not willing to be separated from Marraine.” He looked up at Elsa. “Sorry that’s not a very definitive answer in terms of my reliability as a mutineer, but family comes before the Fleet.”

  She nodded. She knew that feeling. “I understand, believe me.” She was disappointed, but Jaq was in a tough spot.

  She looked at Gus, trying to gauge his reaction. She wasn’t as close with him as she was with the other ex-cinders. For all of Gus’ friendliness, he never let anyone too close. She was least sure of his response. “What about you?” she asked her old friend.

  He set his jaw. “I’m with the mutineers, all the way. To Hayzeltry or wherever that takes us.”

  A grin spread itself across Elsa’s face. Bruno whooped and thumped Gus on the back. “Good man.”

  Elsa looked toward Hon and Louise, but before she could even speak, Hon forestalled her. “We’re with Tsarevich,” he rumbled. His face split in the first smile she’d ever seen on that craggy visage. “I’ve got a good face for a mutineer, Louise tells me.”

  “Or a good face for curdling milk,” his wife muttered, but there was no bite to the insult. She turned her shrewd gaze on Elsa. “What of your career choices, my dear? Have you decided whether to be a rigger, a propulsion engineer, or perhaps a geologist?”

  That question had been chasing around in Elsa’s head for weeks now, and while it had been pushed to the back of her mind by recent events, it had never disappeared entirely. She took a deep breath before responding, noticing in her peripheral vision that Karl was looking on avidly. “Honestly, I’ve realized that it doesn’t really matter. I was worrying about that question incessantly until I learned the truth about my father’s death and the mining company. Now it seems inconsequential. I want to reform the Fleet and bring it back to its roots of scientific exploration. Who knows what positions will be needed most? We don’t even know what the Fleet will look like after this. I’ll serve in whatever capacity I can most be of
use.” She swallowed. “And if that’s as a rigger, so be it. I’ll single-handedly keep the anti-nausea medication manufacturers in business.”

  Bruno chuckled.

  She flicked a glance at Louise as she continued. “And if the Fleet just so happens to get its act together enough to launch new exploratory missions again in the next few years, I’d like to be on those surface teams. Perhaps working as a geologist, if I can find someone to train under.”

  “Done!” Louise said, thumping her crutch against the floor.

  “You’ve dreamed of being a propulsion engineer for so long,” Karl murmured. “Are you sure you want to give that up?”

  Elsa nodded. “The Fleet’s survival after this upheaval will depend on adaptability, and that’s true for all of us here too.” She smiled. “It’s time for new dreams.”

  She looked back at the fay, who was watching her with unblinking, shining eyes. “Marraine, tell us a story, will you? Something about Hayzeltry. We’d all love to know more about where we’re headed.”

  Marraine nodded gracefully. “With pleasure.”

  As she began her tale, Elsa leaned back in her chair, watching the faces around the room as they listened. The star bell shone into her quarters again, but obliquely this time due to the ship’s orientation, and it threw a subtler light over those loved faces. She drank in her family’s presence, savoring this moment in which they were all together. For how long? Nobody knew with certainty. But she refused to be afraid of a future she couldn’t foretell. They would face the coming changes as best they could.

  Marraine concluded her story, and after the questions about riverwhales and long-limbed, maned foxes and whether fay ever did blink—the last being a question Marraine mysteriously refused to answer—the party began to break up. Hon and Louise departed early, saying their goodbyes, and Gus left with Jaq to play a game of chess.

  Marraine stood to leave as well. She kissed Elsa’s forehead, whisper-soft. “Well done tonight, Elsa,” she said. She slipped away before Elsa could think of what to say in reply.

  Bruno unexpectedly pulled her into a bear hug, tight enough to steal her breath. “Glad you’ll still be around, girl,” he muttered gruffly.