The Court Of Stars (The Commonwealth Quartet Book 1)

by Malcolm Schmitz

  "If you'll excuse me," she said. "My husband will want to know you're safe."

  "Your-"

  Christian stared at her as if she'd sprouted an extra head.

  "How long was I... asleep?"

  "Four days." Linna was already halfway across the room. "We were married as soon as possible. Wouldn't want to be improper, would we?"

  "No." Christian laid back on his pillows, feeling a knot of disgust churning in his stomach. He should have warned her, and he knew he should have, but … she would have gone through with it anyway, wouldn't she? Propriety and alliance was all that mattered.

  “What... what was the wedding like?” He bit his lip.

  “Oh, hardly anything like you'd expect.” Linna's lip curled.

  “Really?” he asked, weakly.

  “Well, it was... rather quick. No gown, no wedding chapel. No wedding breakfast.” A strange, half-sad smile crossed her face. “The Commonwealth has a Christian chaplain, did you know?”

  “No....” Christian murmured. He could barely take this in.

  “She said our Church is the best example of... some heresy, I forget what... that she's ever seen.” She quirked her lips.

  “A... female priest?”

  “I know, I know.” Linna sighed. “But she agreed to marry us, so that there'd be no impropriety.”

  “I don't think that... counts...” he said, weakly.

  “We'll have it formalized back home.” Linna put on a tight-lipped smile. “It's all right, Christian. Everything's going to be fine.”

  “...I'm glad you're happy.” He tried to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder, but she stepped back.

  "I'll see you later, brother," she said. She left without another word.

  Christian forced himself to sit upright. He leaned, heavily, against the wall. Where his hand touched, the pink texture of the wall flickered, to a dull gray. A white box appeared beneath his finger, but when he pulled his hand away, it disappeared, and the wall turned pink again.

  He frowned. Was anything in this place real?

  Linna was speaking to someone in the corridor, outside.

  "He's awake, if you want to talk to him."

  Daniel entered the room, quietly, and sat at the foot of Christian's bed. He still wore the dusty robes and bright headscarf he'd always worn, but a pair of black spectacles rested on his nose.

  "You're awake," he said. His voice was nearly a whisper.

  "I'm not an invalid. You can speak normally." Christian frowned.

  "Sorry." Daniel grinned, crooked. "I just. They said we shouldn't disturb you... you know, when you woke up."

  "Well, speaking normally won't 'disturb' me." Christian half-smiled. “...You've got frames on your face.”

  “I know!” Daniel's eyes lit up. “The ship's doctor gave them to me. I got, you know, scratched up in the battle-and he just sprayed something on my leg and the cut was gone, it was like magic, right?”

  Christian nodded.

  “Well, after that the doctor noticed me squinting at him and he tested my eyes. And he said I could use some help fixing my eyes, and... spat these out of a machine. I can see everything.” He laughed, seeming intoxicated by the sheer idea.

  “Mm.” Christian adjusted a pillow and leaned back into it. He felt weak and shaky.

  Daniel frowned, and leaned forward.

  "Don't strain yourself..."

  "I know, that's what got me into this mess in the first place." Christian sighed. Daniel was acting too solicitous, where Linna had been far too cold. What was going on here? Could it be that these people weren't his friends? Were they an illusion, just as the color of the walls had been?

  Christian's eyes narrowed. He decided to follow Saint Thomas' example.

  "Can I touch you?" he asked.

  "Touch me?" Daniel laughed. "Why are you even asking?"

  "I want to make sure you're real." Christian stretched forth his hand.

  Daniel ignored Christian's hand. He leaned in, slowly, and kissed him on the lips.

  It was a slow, gentle kiss-nothing spectacular-but it was warm, and sweet, and Christian found himself enjoying it. It didn't feel wrong, as he'd expected; it felt right, and good, and when Daniel pulled away, he found himself wanting to kiss him again. His face burned.

  "Is that real enough for you?" Daniel grinned.

  Christian wasn't sure what to say, but it turned out, he didn't need to say anything. The door opened again, and Miriet burst through. Her scales were bright pink, and she moved like a dog meeting its owner at the end of a long day.

  "Christian!" She pounced on him, landing on his stomach, knocking the air out of him.

  Christian grunted and picked her up, moving her so her claws didn't dig into his chest. "It's good to see you, too."

  Daniel laughed. "I'll give you two a minute. See you soon, Christian."

  And then he was gone, and Christian was alone with his friend.

  He realized that this was probably 'improper'. Miriet, after all, was female, or wanted to be, or was trying to be. He didn't quite understand that. But there was nothing wrong about companionship, and that's what he and Miriet were. Companions.

  He pulled her into a hug. Tiny and scaly as she was, she at least made an attempt to hug back.

  "Ow-" she muttered. "Chris, you're squashing the life outta me."

  "Sorry." He let go. Miriet settled into a more comfortable position, sitting beside him.

  "What are you going to do, now?" he asked. He knew Miriet was going to leave, and the thought made his heart hurt. She was his friend, and the thought of never hearing from her again put a weight on his shoulders.

  "Well, I'm going back to school," she said. "I've got a lot of work to do, huh?"

  She laughed, nervously-a high, trilling chirp.

  "And I think I'm going to change my major, on top of that."

  "Oh?" Christian didn't quite understand what she meant.

  "Yeah. Remember how I said I wanted to be an anthropologist? Well... looks like I'm not good at that." She laughed.

  “That's a shame...”

  “Not really. I'm thinking about doing something more... computer-y.” She tilted her head to one side. “It's what I'm better at, anyway.”

  “Oh. Well, that's good.” He still didn't understand what she meant, but she sounded happy.

  "What about you?" she asked.

  “What?” Christian blinked in surprise.

  “What are you gonna do, now that your planet's all safe again?”

  "Uh. Well." Christian hadn't really thought about it, and for the moment, he was lost for words.

  The more he reflected on it, though, the more he realized that he wasn't welcome here. Linna didn't need him to support her now that she was married, and Mercadier wanted nothing to do with him. Half of his alliances were completely gone. He'd be the only one in the manor, now, and he'd have to marry, either Sara or someone else, just for the protection another House's militia might offer.

  He didn't want that. He'd never wanted that, now that he thought about it. He'd taken that path because he'd thought he had no other choice. And now, though he was aware that there were other paths you could take, he still had no other choice... did he?

  Bile rose in his throat, making him feel ill. If he stayed here, his future was dimmer than a firefly's light. It had been brighter on the day that the Solari came from the sky and made the world a different place. If he left...

  "I don't know," he finally said. "But I don't think I can stay here."

  "I can see why you wouldn't." Miriet snorted. "This planet's so ...”

  “So what?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “... 'Weird' might be a good place to start?”

  "Miriet..." Christian shook his head, but smiled.

  "Oh! I almost forgot. Can you get up?" she asked.

  Christian tried to sit up a little more. Moving was getting easier by the minute, but his head still hurt every time he shifted position. It was like the wors
t headache he'd ever had, multiplied by a score.

  "I think so. Why?"

  "Well, uh... I was thinking I'd get you something to eat... and then Captain Mbeki wants to talk to you."

  “Who's Captain Mbeki?” Christian frowned.

  “She's the captain of the Commonwealth ship.” Miriet looked really excited.

  “She again.” Christian laughed, a little dryly. “I don't know if I'll ever get used to that.”

  “You will.” Miriet smiled. “She's actually, well... kind of famous. I can't wait for you to meet her.”

  "What does she want to talk to me about?" He leaned forward, ignoring the throbbing pain that whizzed through his skull.

  "She didn't say." Miriet shrugged. "She just said she wanted to talk to you and Sara and Daniel."

  Christian's breath caught. It couldn't be, could it? There were all kinds of reasons that she'd want to talk to them. She could want to congratulate them or debrief them on what they'd done. It couldn't be that she'd want to ask them to...

  "Do you think this means I could have the chance to leave the world?" His old imaginings came back to him-worlds where maybe he'd feel as though he belonged-and though he tried to push them away, they came back, as if they'd never left.

  "Dunno, but it'd be worth asking, nen?" Miriet grinned. It would have been quite a good imitation of a human smile, if her teeth hadn't come to points.

  "I suppose it would." Christian swallowed, hard.

  There was so much at stake here, and he wasn't even sure if it was worth trying to ask. But he didn't want to return home. He thought he'd feel just as out of place at home as he would out in the stars.

  "I'll do it if you stay with me," he said.

  "Deal." She bumped his hand with her head. "I'll get you fed and then we can talk to her, okay?"

  “All right.” Christian lay back down, trying to relax.

  The strange meal a red-shirted man brought in, moments later, rested on a tray made of flaky, white material. Christian gazed dubiously at the food-an apple that was easily the size of his fist, a salad of purple leaves, and a piece of blue meat. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Raw fruit was peasant's food, and the rest of it looked bizarre. But he was hungry, and when he took a bite of the fruit, it tasted like the apple of life itself.

  He ate and ate until he felt as though he was ready to burst. The salad was bitter, and he only finished it for courtesy's sake, but the meat tasted like the freshest venison he had ever eaten.

  When he put his plate aside, Miriet nodded.

  "Do you want to talk to her now?"

  "Y-yes. That would be the best idea." He wanted to do it while this burst of energy lasted.

  "Okay. I'll tell them to come in here, then. "

  Miriet ran off, claws skidding across the floor, leaving Christian alone.

  He tried to make himself presentable before they entered. He brushed back his hair, adjusted the bandage on his head, took a deep breath—

  The door slid open.

  Sara entered first, with Miriet on her shoulder. Her short, red hair was pushed back, in a way that was neither masculine nor feminine. She was dressed in fresh clothes-long, white robes, like the women of the caravan wore-but her sword was at her waist.

  Daniel followed her in, hands behind his back. He waved at Christian, but didn't say anything, taking his place at Sara's side.

  The woman who entered the room last dwarfed them both. She was huge: her body was both tall and wide, built like a barrel. Her skin was dark, and she wore a red uniform. Small, box-like decorations covered her right side. Her head was shaved, and her boots were so clean they nearly shone.

  She glanced at Christian with narrowed eyes. He got the feeling she was sizing him up, and had to resist the urge to salute.

  "Arundel. That's your name, right?" she asked. Her voice was deep, for a woman's, but not unpleasant. She had a strange accent Christian couldn't quite place.

  "Yes, milady." He decided to be as polite as he possibly could manage. "Christian, Lord Arundel."

  Sara raised a hand to her lips, hiding a smile, and Christian frowned at her.

  The stranger laughed. "That's Captain Mbeki. It's good to finally meet you."

  He shifted, awkwardly, in place.

  "Miriet said you wanted to speak to me?"

  "She wanted to speak to both of us, Christian." Sara quirked an eyebrow.

  Captain Mbeki nodded. "That's right."

  She leaned against the wall.

  "You were the commanders of the... army that fought the Solari, right?"

  "Yes, ma'am, " Sara answered, almost immediately. "Christian began the attack. I ended it when he was incapacitated."

  The Captain nodded.

  "I see. Well, I've come to make both of you an offer."

  Christian frowned, listening intently. Sara crouched, sitting on the floor.

  "You see..." Captain Mbeki continued, beginning to pace around the room. "We need people like you."

  "Whatever for?" Sara asked. She clasped her hands on her lap. "We don't know how to use your... machines."

  "We're from the middle of nowhere, by your standards," Christian added. His face was still warm with embarrassment.

  "It doesn't matter where you're from, you out-fought the Solari. I'm impressed." The Captain gave Christian a hard stare, and he wanted to hide himself in the blankets. He tried to sit upright, and not let her gaze make him quail.

  "So I've got a little proposal for you," she continued. "You can join our corps. Go out into the universe, and see what's out there for yourself. We'll give you the best education the Commonwealth can offer. In exchange, you'll serve in our armed forces, such as they are, for five years."

  "And if we refuse?" Christian asked, warily. The last 'proposal' he'd gotten had nearly gotten him killed.

  "Then you can go home, and we won't trouble you farther."

  He thought she was telling the truth-she didn't seem scared to meet his gaze-but it could have been that she was an especially good liar.

  "Would we be able to go home at the end of that time?" Sara asked, seeming to think it over.

  "If that's what you really wanted? Yes."

  Christian pondered it. He knew there was nothing for him here, really. Linna and Mercadier had abandoned him. He had no desire for the throne. Everything he'd wanted and been, in this world, was gone.

  Nevertheless...

  "I can't do it," Sara said.

  "What?" Christian's eyes widened. Of all the people in the universe to refuse-

  "This world still needs me." She stood, clasping her hands behind her back, like a schoolboy giving a speech. "Anthony's going to try for the throne, he needs someone to stop him. 'Samuel' can do it, even if I can't."

  “You changed your mind?” Miriet said, glancing over at her.

  “He's craven. Did you see, in the-the Rift?” Sara's lip curled. “..He ran away from the battle. He would rather save his hide than fight.”

  Christian frowned, but said nothing. She was right, of course. Mercadier needed to be stopped. But Christian knew thateven if he tried to take the throne, he'd be terrible at it.

  "What about your rebellion?" he asked

  "The king can grow old at his leisure." Sara snorted. "If it keeps Mercadier off the throne, I don't care."

  "That's a reasonable answer," Captain Mbeki said. “Daniel? What do you say?”

  “Are you crazy? Of course I'm coming with you.” Daniel was bouncing with excitement, moving up and down on his knees. “I want to see the whole universe.”

  "What about you, Christian?"

  Christian frowned, lacing his fingers together. He felt as though he were standing at a crossroads, and he didn't want to move. If anything, he wished someone else would make the decision for him.

  But he knew he had to decide, and he knew, since he had to, what his answer would be.

  He plucked up the shreds of his courage, and answered.

  "Yes."

 
"What?" the captain asked.

  "Yes, I'll go with you. I want to see the stars."

  ★★★

  Christian stood on the gangplank of the ship, looking out at the horizon.

  It was strange, to think this would be the last glimpse of his homeworld he'd see. Most of it was sand, and he felt a hot wind from the west on his face. The sun rose red over the mountains, and the air tasted like salt and heat.

  A chill worked its way up his spine.

  "Ready to go?" Miriet asked. She stood beside him, scales the color of the pre-dawn sky.

  "No," Christian admitted. "But... this is an adventure, isn't it?"

  "You could think of it that way, yeah." She tilted her head to one side. "Just wait until you start trying stuff. Like hoverscooters, those are always fun-"

  She began to chatter, but he paid her no mind. He gripped the railing, staring out at the horizon, trying to memorize every feature of the landscape.

  "Christian?" Daniel was coming down the gangplank towards him.

  He blinked at the mention of his name. "What?"

  "It's time to go." Daniel pushed his glasses up. Christian could see that he was bouncing in place with excitement. "They're going to lift off any minute."

  "I suppose you're right."

  He raised a hand in a mute salute. He'd made his goodbyes to everyone who was staying behind-but this was saying goodbye to the world itself.

  It'll still be here when you come back, he thought. This was the greatest adventure any knight could ever undertake.

  He just hoped he was strong enough to come home, afterwards.

  Christian crossed himself and took a deep breath. He glanced down, at Miriet, and moved to walk with Daniel.

  "All right. I'm ready."

  Miriet climbed onto his shoulder, and Daniel took Christian's hand.

  Together, they passed from the world, onto the ship, and into the stars.

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Malcolm Schmitz is a writer living in Utah. This is his first novel.