Cassandra's Challenge

by M. K. Eidem

  “The Regulians had no idea what they’d found, what it meant, but Olah did. He immediately contacted High Admiral Valerian. To tell him he’d found the Lost Princess.”

  “You can’t possible know that!” Valerian is out of his chair. William tenses as Cassandra walks towards him.

  “I can.” Her eyes are hard as she stares at Valerian. “Scholar Olah kept a meticulous journal of all the data he’d found, who he reported it too. It’s procedure. On 20 Nallag 5247 he contacted HAV, the same abbreviation he used in his journal when he gave progress reports on the Regulian systems, High Admiral Valerian. He also made notations about the conversation. Beside this entry he wrote ‘Not interested’.” Valerian’s face turns bright red but he sits.

  “But Olah knew this was vital information to end the mystery of where the lost Queen went too. That there might be a true heir to the House of Knowledge on a planet deep in the Relinquished Zone, so he decides to contact someone he knows will be interested in this information. Queen Yakira.” Cassandra turns to face Yakira.

  “What!” The shock is easily read by all on Yakira’s face.

  “Olah’s same journal 20 Nallag, he makes an appointment to meet with QY regarding the LP data at 1400 25 Nallag.” Cassandra takes several steps to Yakira as she speaks.

  “This is an outrage!” Audric stands, as he does, so does William. “For this…person…to accuse my wife of treason is intolerable.”

  Cassandra gives Audric a look of pure distain. “Assemblyman Terwilliger,” Turning her back on Audric she walks back to the Assembly. “This is my time to answer questions Queen Yakira has raised is it not?”

  Terwilliger rises. “Yes Princess it is.”

  “Then would you kindly tell Prince Audric to sit down and be quiet.” The Assembly gasps in unison at her request. Cassandra waits.

  Clearing his throat Terwilliger looks at Audric. “Prince Audric, would you please resume your seat so the Challenger’s response can continue.”

  “This is outrageous!”

  “Audric.” Yakira’s voice is cold. “Sit!” As he slowly does, William resumes his seat but he doesn’t relax.”

  “As I was saying before I was interrupted, Scholar Olah scheduled an appointment with Queen Yakira on 25 Nallag. He copied all his data and took the transport to the Royal Palace in Kisurri, sitting in the last coach. It was well known that Scholar Olah always sat in the last coach of the transport. Upon his arrival he was told Queen Yakira was unavailable.”

  Cassandra turns looking at Yakira. “Earlier in the day her son, Prince Vance, had been involved in a ‘freak’ riding accident, she was at his side, where any parent would be.” Giving her a slight nod Cassandra turns her attention to Audric.

  “Because of this, Prince Audric took the Queen’s appointments.” A mummer starts within the Assembly, eyes turning to Audric, including Yakira’s. “Scholar Olah while disappointed not to be speaking with the Queen herself told Prince Audric what he’d discovered, what he believed.” She turns her back on Audric, knowing her speaking about him in such away would ‘irritate’ him.

  “Olah wrote in his notes he was disappointed in Prince Audric’s lack of interest. He felt the Prince didn’t understand what he was saying. But Prince Audric took the data copies he’d brought, said he would present them to the Queen and get back to him on her decision. Taking the transit home Olah could do nothing but wait.”

  “He didn’t have to wait long. Two days later he receives a communication from PA. Prince Audric, Queen Yakira requests he bring all the original data to the House of Knowledge so it can be studied in more depth. She would like him there the next day. 28 Nallag at 1500. Olah complies and arrives on time only to find that Queen Yakira is again, unavailable.”

  Cassandra turns back to Yakira. “He doesn’t know she is traveling with her son to Moncton for medical treatment for his earlier injury, had in fact left the day before. I find it interesting that an appointment can be made in the Queen’s name when the Queen isn’t even in residence.” She can see Yakira’s mind racing. Turning back to the Assembly she continues.

  “So Olah gives the requested data to Prince Audric and leaves, he gets on the transport along with hundreds of others, sits in the last coach and ten minutes later is dead. He and a hundred others, as the last coach of the transport uncouples and plunges into a ravine, it was considered a ‘freak’ accident.” She gives the Assembly a moment to consider.

  “Two months later, on Earth the Regulians begin their search for the young girl. I’m sure as many of you know, Regulian technology while more advanced then Earth’s is inferior to Carinian. They had to be within a hundred feet of the girl for the thread to transmit. Because of this their search took time, but they got lucky, and within a month were able to locate the transmission. In a City called Kayseri, in an arid region of the Earth, a place where my grandmother, sister-in-law, niece, and I happened to be visiting.”

  “Early one morning my niece was abducted from the home we were staying in. From a high walled garden, she is taken.” No one in the Assembly doubts the rage behind Cassandra voice. “Queen Yakira has questioned what some of my beliefs are so I’ll tell you what I believe.”

  “I believe a child is a precious gift that should always be protected. That a child has the right to not be abducted from her home, from her family, to be examined by a strange man, to be threatened and terrorized, to not have a thread implanted in her arm and be told she will always be found! That is what I believe, but maybe on Carina your beliefs are different.”

  Turning Cassandra walks towards Audric. “You traveled to Earth, abducted my niece terrorized her, all because you thought she might have a birthmark.”

  “You can make up whatever stories you want, no one here believes you. You are nothing but a refugee from a dead planet.” The Assembly is shocked as Cassandra laughs, truly laughs at Audric. William prepares to move to defend his wife.

  “You were born in Messene on Goryn, the son of servants, would have been one yourself, it hadn’t been for the ‘charity’?” Cassandra questions, “Of Queen Hestia. She took pity on you after the mysterious deaths of your parents, rumored a murder-suicide.”

  “Queen Hestia had you educated, taught manners, included you in many Royal functions. Letting you see what it was like to be the one served, not serving. You actually came to believe it was your right, to be a Royal, when you were nothing. Still are nothing. You can claim no House carry no birthmark have no family.”

  “You know nothing!”

  “I know that it was all ending for you, with Yakira’s upcoming Union to Prince Vane. You were being ignored, becoming unimportant. You’d been unimportant before you weren’t going back. So you arranged for a vacation, sort of a last boys trip for you and Vane, a climbing trip on Messene. Vane was an excellent climber he was excellent at everything he did, unlike you.”

  “Vane’s death was caused by equipment failure. It was a…” Audric hesitates.

  “Freak accident?” Cassandra raises an eyebrow at him. “That happens a lot around you. Your parents, Vane, Scholar Olah, even Prince Vance.” Cassandra hears Yakira suck in her breath. Yakira looks at her spouse, her eyes flat.

  “This is outrageous! You will pay for slandering me this way!” Audric rises.

  “No. You will pay, for what you did to my niece, to my family, to my planet, to your own. You murdered seven billion people because of a possibility. A possibility that the true Queen was on Earth, you didn’t even know.”

  “You will never prove it.”

  “You’re right.” A gasp goes up from the Assembly. “I won’t.” Turning Cassandra looks at Victoria.

  Everyone watches as the tiny little girl with long red hair crosses the platform in unusual blue pants. She stops beside her Aunt.

  “What is this!” Audric demands his eyes glaring at Cassandra.

  “This is Victoria Lynn Chamberlain, my niece.”

  “You really expect anyone to take the word of this child
!”

  “I’m not scared of you anymore.” Victoria’s eyes bore into his, her voice while young is firm. “I used to be, I’d have nightmares of you coming back, of finding me again, but not anymore.”

  “You took me in the morning and put me on a table so I couldn’t move. It was bright, so bright it hurt my eyes but it just outside the light it was dark. And in the dark there were voices lots of voices. Then you were there, staring at me, touching me.” The mood in the Assembly is turning Audric can feel it.

  “You can’t possible believe a hysterical child.” Audric yells at the Assembly.

  “Hysterical?” Cassandra looks at Victoria then back to Audric.

  “She’s a child, she can’t possibly remember anything!” Audric doesn’t realize what he’s just admitted Cassandra does and sees that Yakira does too.

  “You were angry, angry at the Regulians.” Victoria switches to Regulian. “You called them stupid, told them that I wasn’t the Light, that you wouldn’t honor the agreement.” Audric pales at what Victoria is saying.

  “That’s impossible.”

  “What is?” Cassandra asks. “That Victoria not only speaks but understands Regulian? I am Qwes, she is my niece. It took her four days.”

  “Not possible.”

  “Not for you, but then you’ve never excelled at anything, have you Audric except death, death and deception.”

  “What did she say?” Prince Vance asks looking at his mother. Cassandra looks at the boy, soon to be man.

  “’You called them stupid, told them that I wasn’t the Light, that you wouldn’t honor the agreement.’” Queen Yakira translates.

  “Yes.” She nods to Yakira.

  “She’s just repeating what you’ve told her, what you’ve been schooling her on. The child was terrified, she remembers nothing!”

  “Do you remember what else you said?” Victoria asks taking a step towards him.

  “I wasn’t there I said nothing.”

  “It was you. You told the Regulians they’d have to ‘return me’ because you needed to get back the Messene before you were missed. You couldn’t go ‘unseen’ much longer.”

  As the Assembly gasps Audric’s eyes start to ‘glitter’.

  “I never told anyone what you said, ‘that you’d find me no matter where I went. That you’d hear me, find me, that I wouldn’t take your light.’ I was too scared, scared of the Glitter Man. But that was before, before the Admiral and the Retribution. The Admiral knew what it meant when I told him. And he made it right. Dr Bliant took the thread out of my arm so you couldn’t find me. Me or Aunt Cassie because she’s the one you really wanted. You don’t scare me anymore.”

  Cassandra puts herself between her niece and Audric as he takes a step. “It’s an interesting name isn’t it ‘Glitter Man’. Tori always called you that, because your eyes ‘glittered’ at her. Eyes on Earth don’t do that, eyes on Carina don’t either for that matter.”

  “But on Goryn,” She takes a step towards him. “One-tenth of one percent of all men has a genetic condition called Oculus Spangle. When you get angry, your eyes ‘Glitter’ just like their doing right now. Victoria couldn’t have known that unless she’d seen it, seven cycles ago.”

  “You are nothing! You and that little bitch you call a niece! I should have killed her when I had the chance!” As Audric lunges for them the room erupts. Cassandra and Victoria move as if one taking a quick side step their fathers’ had taught them. When Audric flies past he faces a wall of angry Zafar men, before he can turn he finds his arms restrained.

  “Get your hands off me! I am Prince Audric! Guards!” Yakira raises her hand stopping the House of Knowledge guards.

  “Cassandra?” William’s voice is gruff as he looks at his wife. He’s let her handle this her way, knowing it was the only way she could heal, that both of them could heal, but it is taking its toll.

  “We’re fine.”

  “She’d better have been the best slam in the universe Zafar because you’re a dead man, you and your entire family. I will destroy you.” The Admiral’s only response is to twist Audric’s arms tighter. The hall starts to quiet all wanting to hear what’s being said.

  “You’ll will destroy nothing else you pathetic little man.” Cassandra nudges Victoria to Lucas as she takes a step toward Audric. “You have just confessed to the murder of nearly seven billion people. Including those previously mentioned you are responsible for the attacks on the fleet, that’s nearly another fifteen hundred Carinian lives.”

  “You have no power here! You can’t try me!”

  “No….I can’t.” Cassandra turns to walk to the front to the Assembly. It is in chaos, some standing some sitting. Standing there looking at the Royals, the Assemblymen, to the balconies and the citizens of Carina, she raises her voice to be heard.

  “Audric is correct. I have no power here, in this place.” The Assembly quiets. “He is Royal by his wife’s declaration at their wedding. No common court can try him. He has murdered many from the House of Knowledge making it an ‘internal’ problem. He has murdered seven billion people on a distant planet, in doing he conspired with the Regulians that makes it a Coalition problem.” Cassandra looks at Valerian. “But we all know Valerian will do nothing. Those lives mean nothing to him. All he cares about is using Audric to kill more Regulians, making him no better than Audric.” She gives him a disdainful look.

  “But with that conspiracy comes a threat to all Houses, to all Carinians. And that makes these crimes the jurisdiction of this Assembly. I ask for vote from the Full Assembly, present here today, on the guilt of Prince Audric for High Treason.”

  “You can’t do that!” Audric struggles against William’s hold.

  “Princess Cassandra….” Terwilliger begins.

  “Guilty.” Cassandra turns surprised to hear Queen Yakira cast the first vote.

  “Guilty.” King Jotham stands casting his vote.

  “Guilty.”

  “Guilty.”

  “Guilty.”

  Cassandra closes her eyes as she hears the vote. Turning she looks to her husband, to her family.

  Terwilliger pounds his gavel on the podium. “Assembly Guards! Prince Audric has been found guilty of High Treason.” Terwilliger can’t believe he’s saying this. “Secure him while the Assembly decides his punishment.” As guards move to take control of Audric a chant begins in the balconies.

  “Death, death, death…” William moves towards Cassandra his eyes scanning the crowd. This could get ugly fast.

  “Stay close.” He puts an arm around her as she nods.

  “No!” Both turn at the sound of Victoria’s voice. “No, Aunt Cassie, they can’t!”

  “Can’t what?” She kneels down to look into frantic eyes.

  “They can’t kill him.”

  “Victoria, I don’t think we have any say in that.”

  “Uncle William! Make them listen to me.” Looking into crystal green eyes William sees someone older than she should be.

  “Assemblyman Terwilliger.” The Admiral’s voice booms through the Hall cutting through the maelstrom of noise.

  “Admiral Zafar.” Terwilliger acknowledges him.

  “There is someone who would like to speak. I think we should listen.” Looking to Victoria he steps back.

  “My name is Victoria Lynn Chamberlain.” Tori steps forward undaunted by the crowd in front of her, “That man,” she points, “Prince Audric, kidnapped me when I was little, killed my grandfather, my father, my mother and my unborn baby brother. I think that gives me the right to say what his punishment should be. Is that not Carinian Law? That a victim can suggest punishment?”

  Terwilliger finds himself caught in that clear green gaze. “It is.”

  “Then I chose Seleucia, on Niue,” A shocked silence greets her statement. “Where he will be clothed, feed, and work from sunrise to sunset the rest of his life.” Turning Victoria looks at Audric. “I hope it is a long, long life.” With one last look she turns
away from Audric and walks to her Aunt and Uncle.

  “Victoria? What is Seleucia?”

  “It’s a prison.”

  “It’s a very hard prison. Cold, dark, they do mostly mining. I think you chose well Tori. I’m very proud of you.” William leans down hugging his daughter.

  As the Assemblymen ponder and debate Audric’s fate, the Admiral leads his family back to their seats.

  “How did you learn about Seleucia?” Cassandra looks at Victoria.

  “I happened to hear one of the guards mention it so I looked it up on the comm.”

  “Happened to overhear?” William quizzes.

  “The door wasn’t shut tight, is that my fault?” Those clear green eyes, so old minutes ago are young and mischievous again.

  “No, not your fault, I’ll have to speak with the Marat on that.” Looking over his shoulder he sees Marat has heard.

  “But if you do that how will I learn anything?”

  “The old fashion way,” Cassandra tells her. “You’ll have to ask.”

  “Where’s the fun in that.” The pounding of the gavel ends the conversation.

  “Royals, Assemblymen, Citizens of Carina. The Assemblymen have voted on the punishment to be given to Prince Audric for High Treason. The vote was unanimous. Seleucia, for life.”

  “No! You can’t do that! I am a PRINCE!” Audric shouts as guards force him out of the Assembly Hall.

  “Princess Cassandra, would you rise.” Cassandra looks to William, only he sees the question in her eyes, as she rises.

  “This Assembly, indeed all of Carina, is in your debt for you bring this matter to our attention.” Terwilliger gives her a slight bow.

  “With all due respect Assemblyman Terwilliger, I…we’d much rather have our family back than be in your debt. But that isn’t possible, so we’ll accept in the spirit it is given.”

  “Thank you. Are you prepared to continue your Challenge?” Cassandra looks at Yakira for a moment than walks to the center of the platform.