by Shae Mills
Chelan quaked, tears forming. “But you don’t understand. If I had known you were alive, somehow, someway, I could have worked with you and Lethiason to take him down all that much sooner.”
Korba shook his head slowly. Then he gave her a faint smile. “You know that you have never been able to hide anything from me, my Lady. Do you honestly think you could have not only concealed my existence from him, my genetic brother, but that you could have carried out such a subterfuge for so long? Do you really think that you could have planned his death without him getting wind?”
Chelan tried to think everything through. “I always had more than ample cause for trying to take him out. He need never have known of your involvement.”
More tears squeezed from Korba’s eyes, and his voice became but a tortured whisper. “And if you had slipped up in any manner, your death would have been on my hands. It was hard enough to grapple daily with the pain and guilt over your capture. If your mission under my direction had failed…if you had died at his hands because of the knowledge that you carried, that I was alive… god, Chelan, I would have taken my own life in a single heartbeat. Everything I was trying to recover, everything I was planning and striving for, would have all been for naught. It would have become a catastrophic failure on all fronts. And my biggest failure of all would have been the ultimate loss of you.”
Chelan was trembling from head to toe. “I am so sorry,” she said quietly.
“No, don’t be sorry for anything. Though it pained me more than anything in the galaxy, having you fall in love with the man was a necessity.”
Chelan cringed. “No, I never loved the man, never truly. On his last day… as he was dying… I whispered what he longed to hear. I told him I loved him—” She choked on her tears and then recovered. “And maybe by then, I did in some limited way. I don’t know, because I had hated him for so long. He kept me isolated. He made sure that I could go only to him for everything. And Lethiason did his job masterfully… He pushed… He said it was imperative that I accept Talon, and in the end…” A sob wracked her. “I did.”
Korba released her and stood, turning his back to her. “It was as it needed to be. The only thing that kept me from falling apart was that I knew it was for the best. And through it all, it was my pain that drove me. If not for you, Chelan, I would not have had the will to recapture the Empire. And because of you, because of what you eventually allowed him to share, Talon became vulnerable. It is because of you that I stand on my home planet today.”
Chelan looked down and clutched at her chest. She remained quiet for a long time. Then she rose and stared at his back. “But now you willingly give your power away?”
Korba’s head hung. “Victory has no sweetness without you. Yet I understand your choice—Braedon is an honorable man. He has always served me loyally. You will do well by him. He will keep you safe, and a life with him will be so much less complicated.”
Chelan felt her knees weakening. She ground at her eyes with her fingers. She could hardly think, let alone speak. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes to calm herself. “I… I should let you rest.”
Korba nodded. “Thank you.”
Chelan bolted from the room and sagged against the workout area wall. It had been a mistake to come here, and she wanted to go home. It was all too much to assimilate. If her heart took one more blow, it would simply cease to beat. She needed to get to the caverns, now.
Chapter 29
Chelan paced in the Command Center for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the main doors opened, and she confronted Braedon. “Where have you been?”
“I have been with Lethiason.”
“We need to go home now.”
Braedon stepped in front of her. “No, we don’t.”
Chelan was taken aback. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean no. You still have too much to sort out.” And he turned from her and headed toward the chambers.
Chelan raced after him and then watched as he plucked up additional weapons and stuffed them under his shroud. “What are you doing?”
“I am going back to the caverns.”
Chelan gasped. “What?”
“You need time alone here with him, Chelan.”
“But I don’t want to be alone with him. I want to go home. Why are you trying to tell me what I want?”
Braedon took her hands in his. “Because you belong here with him. You just need some time to come to that realization.”
“But I love you.”
“You love him more.”
“How dare you attempt to patronize my feelings? I—”
“Your pain blinds you!” Braedon sighed. “I can feel your allegiance to him. I can feel your love for him. Even in the caverns, it turns out, your struggle was not with Talon’s death—it was over your rightful place.”
“You are wrong!”
“Then so be it. But you stay.”
“You cannot force me to stay here. Nor can you order me to do so.”
“Why, because you are the Empress?”
Chelan blinked with astonishment. “No,” she whispered. “Because we are in this together.”
“Until you consummate your love with him again, thus reclaiming your role as Empress, I will order you as I please.” And he headed for the doors.
Chelan ran up to him. “This is so unfair. This is a personal issue between us, not a military decision. You are unilaterally making this decision for us. You are casting me into purgatory.”
He turned to her, his face solemn. His voice became soft and low. “Oh, Chelan. Right now, you cannot see what I do, and that is what is not fair. It is not fair to me to be tempted by you each day when I know that you belong to another.”
“But I want to spend my life with you, in the caverns or in the South. I know we can make it work. I want to be away from the Empire and all its inherent brutality.”
“I know, and I understand. But I, too, am of the Empire. I am not a warrior, but I, too, serve Korba. You will still be bound to him through me, one way or another. If he had been truly dead, everything we have would be perfect between us. But now that he is back, now that he rules, he will flow over us continually one way or another. He will never be out of your psyche.”
“You are assuming that I do not have the will to make our relationship work. And that is not true. You are simply giving up on us.”
Braedon clutched her to him. “No. I am not giving up on us. But out of my love, I am giving you a fresh chance at life. I am giving you the chance to be once again all that you can be.” He squeezed her hard. “This needs to be fair to all of us. Stay here a few more days. Give your heart a chance to heal. Then if you can walk away from him, come to me in the caverns.”
“Oh, Braedon, I have always been told to follow my heart, and I want you. We have been together so much over the months. We share everything in common. All those years ago, I came to the caverns out of desperation, but now it is different. Back then, I was determined to escape Talon. I was desperate to feel I belonged somewhere… anywhere away from the Empire, even if that place was a barren cave. But this time, I returned to the caverns to be with you because I wanted you and the life you could provide.”
Braedon sank his face into her honey brown hair, tamping down his visceral need to carry her off with him. “No, this time, you came to me to escape Korba and the realities of a troubled heart.” He hesitated. “If you had come back to me to share a life with me completely, well, because of our connection, and because of our mutual attraction, we would have made love a long time ago. So, be fair to me, be fair to Korba, but most of all, be fair to yourself. Right now, your heart is confused. Give it some time.”
Chelan went to speak, but Braedon interrupted her. “Three days, Chelan. Give it three days. That is all I ask.”
Finally, she nodded. “Three days,” she acquiesced. “Out of fairness to you, I will do as you ask. But after those three days, I don’t want any more trouble. I don’t want my dec
ision questioned.”
“If after three days you chose a life with me, believe me, I will have no complaints. I will welcome you back with open arms and an open heart.” He smiled and then kissed her forehead hard. Before she could utter another word, he hastened from the room and was gone.
Chelan collapsed onto the bed. From there, she did not move until the following day. Then she awoke slowly and trudged off to the shower. After she had finished, she dressed and then stood still, deep in a quandary. What was she going to do for three days? Suddenly, an idea came to her.
She flew through the Command Center and out into the corridor. A multitude of guards snapped to attention, and Yanis drew back his hood. “My Lady. How may I assist you?”
“I need to see Stose.”
Yanis blanched. “Are you okay, my Lady?”
“Oh, yes! I am well. I just need to ask Stose a few questions.”
Yanis nodded with relief. “This way, my Lady.” And he escorted her to the private sickbay. There, she bade him thanks and stepped into the medical center.
Stose greeted her immediately. “My Lady. A good welcome to you.”
“You knew I was here?”
“Oh, the whole Empire was abuzz at your arrival.”
Chelan felt queasy. “We need to talk.”
“As you wish.” And he ushered her into his private office. They sat.
“I will get right to the point. I have three days to spend here. I know Korba was grievously injured, but I also remember his splendid genetics. He lags far behind in healing.”
Stose nodded. “It is his mindset, my Lady.”
Chelan sagged into her chair. “I was afraid of that. Even his scaring remains when it should have vanished long ago.” She stared at the wall for a time. Then she studied Stose. “What will happen if he fails to recover sufficiently to resume his governance?”
Stose straightened. “If we are lucky, the Empire will do well by Zane. But if history dictates the future, it won’t be long until some upstart challenges him.”
Chelan’s marrow thickened. “More bloodshed.”
Stose nodded. “Another Talon.”
Chelan shuddered at the thought. “What can I do to help him?”
Stose smiled. “Simply offer your support for as long as you can. Your presence will heal him.”
“What about something like physio?”
Stose’s smile broadened. “Do you forget my Lord’s former body, my Lady? No one knows more about exercise, nutrition, and health than he. If you want a god to spring up from the mortal man you see, be there for him.”
Chelan rose and finally smiled. “Thank you, Dr. Stose. I will see what I can do.”
Stose stood. “You can work a miracle, my Lady, as only you can.”
Chelan nodded her good-bye and hustled back to the Command Center. There she entered in long-unused codes, and the Center activated. Immediately, she began making plans and issuing orders that she hoped would be followed. Then she sat back and waited.
Finally, the entry request came, and Chelan stood. The main doors opened, and an elderly woman stepped through them. “My Lady,” she acknowledged as she bowed deeply.
“Are you Zeta?”
“Yes, my Lady.”
Chelan stepped up to her. “It is lovely to meet you.”
Zeta bowed again. “The honor is all mine, my Lady. It is wonderful to finally meet you after all these years.”
“You were in his Lordship’s service back when the old Empire ruled?”
“Yes, my Lady. I have always served him, including you while you were on Iceanea, though we never met. But then the dark times descended.”
Chelan looked down. “Yes, dark indeed,” she whispered. Then she studied the woman closely as she dared to ask her next question. “You survived. How?”
“As with many, my Lady, we fled to the South. Those of us who were never warriors and those of us too old to pick up arms were never Talon’s concern. If we had stayed, yes, we would have been eliminated. And if he had continued to rule, maybe we would eventually have been ferreted out. But fortunately, his Lordship prevailed in the end.”
Chelan looked into the woman’s old eyes and saw only warmth, but she felt uneasy. What did the woman think of her? The galaxy knew of Chelan’s years with Talon and undoubtedly knew of the part she had innocently played in the downfall of the two greatest Warlords through Talon’s acquisition of her. Guilt once again ran through her veins like acid, and she felt her world tilt.
Zeta stepped up to her. “May I touch you, my Lady?”
Chelan blinked back to her. “Yes,” she whispered.
Zeta reached for her hands and held them with a strength that ran contrary to her appearance. “If I may be so bold,” she said, “I know what you are thinking, my Lady. And you are wrong. You will not find an Iceanean member of this Empire who holds you responsible for any of this. Talon’s destruction was galaxy-wide. He would have prevailed no matter what.”
Chelan hiccupped as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I know.”
Zeta squeezed her hands tighter. “I have been in the service of the Empire for longer than his Majesty has been alive. These old eyes are all-seeing, all-knowing. I hope that with time you heal and purge all sense of guilt from your soul. And in the end, we all stand here once again because of you. I know parts of that are also a hard reality to accept. But what is important is the undisputable fact that his Lordship’s love for you provided all the incentive he needed to retrieve that which we love and hold so dear: our culture, our planet, and our fair and unwavering Empire.”
Chelan felt like putty. Her eyes burned, but she refused to allow her tears. “I will take everything you have said into consideration, Zeta.”
The woman smiled and then released her slowly. “You make sure you do, my Lady. After all the bloodshed, and after all that has been finally achieved, for the masses to believe that you have become yet another casualty of this war would be a devastating blow. The peoples of Iceanea have always honored you, and we celebrate your liberation. We do not wish you to fade from us, no matter what your personal relationship is with our Emperor.”
Chelan felt more emotions welling as Zeta’s words took their full effect, and she sought to concentrate instead on the task at hand. She would sort through all the ramifications of Zeta’s insights at a later time. Right now, she had another job to do. “I thank you for all your kind words, Zeta,” she said. “I will take them all to heart.”
“They are not just kind words, my Lady. They are the indisputable truth.”
Chelan finally smiled. “Speaking of truths, I was informed that you are the best when it comes to knowledge about nutrition and meal preparation.”
Zeta laughed lightly. “If it will put his Lordship back in the helm, my Lady, I will be the best.”
Chelan’s exuberance returned. “Good. The meals that I suggested and that you approved, they should arrive every three hours, then?”
“Yes, my Lady. The meals are perfect. I have the first prepared. If you permit, I shall present it to you now.”
“Oh, yes, absolutely!”
Zeta nodded and turned back toward the main entrance. As the doors parted, a tray was handed to the woman. She shuffled back to Chelan and passed her the food. “There has always been a strict protocol in place for any food prepared for his Majesty. Rest assured that that is still in place, and all is safe. I will bring most of the meals myself, but others will do it at times. However, they are all in his service, always have been, and are loyal to the utmost degree.”
Chelan nodded. “I understand. I would have expected no less.”
Zeta smiled again. “Good luck, my Lady.” Then she bowed and took her leave.
Chelan took in a deep breath, the scent of the Iceanean food reminding her of the task at hand, and she headed toward the little blue room. Once there, she squared her shoulders and walked in unannounced. Then she stood still and watched as Korba slowly rolled over to face her. “
My stars!” she declared. “If you responded that slowly to the enemy, you wouldn’t live to draw another breath.”
Korba’s eyes sparkled. “My Lady. You are still here.”
Chelan hesitated. “What did you think?”
“I knew that Braedon left. I just assumed—”
“You assumed wrong.” Chelan stepped up to the bed and sat down.
Korba pushed himself up and looked down at the tray. “What is this?”
“Complex carbohydrates for fuel, protein for all that wasted muscle mass, vegetables for vitamins and minerals…” And she began opening the sealed containers that harbored the succulent Iceanean dishes.
Korba’s eyes widened. “That amount of food will kill me.”
“If you do not eat it, I will kill you.”
Korba looked over at her, a smile lighting his handsome face. Chelan instantly felt her heart take off. “Need help?” she whispered.
Korba’s smile turned into a grin. “You offering?”
Chelan straightened and threw a napkin over his lap. Then she set the tray over him and handed him the fork. “Use your left hand only. It will be good therapy.”
He continued to stare at her, and then, slowly, he tackled the food. Chelan studied him. He had wasted away. Though to the unfamiliar eye, he would still appear to be the pinnacle of male prowess and fitness, Chelan knew him better. His seven-foot frame had probably dipped well below his former two hundred ninety pounds, but she would soon remedy that.
His legs were covered by his uniform pants and boots, but his chest was bare. Chelan forced herself to examine it, trying to tell the stabs from the slices, but it was not easy. Then she looked at his face. It was relatively gaunt, but he was still devastatingly handsome. His iridescent, blue-black hair was meticulously feathered as usual, but he wore it longer, its tapered ends hanging down to the center of his plate-like pectorals. But still, his skin had a distressing gray tinge to it, a result of his wounds, both physical and mental. Both would take time to heal, and for now, she would help as much as possible.