Having insisted that he would pay as well, Jason brought out some of the money he had earned in Danalee from tutoring students in math, offering the coins with pride that was, Kira thought, endearingly awkward rather than self-assured.
“We have to kiss each other again,” she muttered to Jason.
It felt uncomfortable and forced, but none of the onlookers appeared to be disappointed.
“Can we go back to the palace?” Jason whispered.
“Yes. Please. Yes.”
* * *
“You owe me!” Kira yelled as she stomped into the suite her parents occupied. “For the rest of my life! Which may not be that long, because I want to die!”
“All right, dearest,” her mother said. She was seated at the desk. “You can take off that pin now.”
“No! Jason bought it for me!” Kira paced back and forth. “Do you have any idea what that was like?”
“It could have been worse.” Mari dropped a slim dagger onto the desk.
Kira paused in her pacing, walking over to examine it. “Is that poison on the blade?”
“That is poison on the blade. The owner of the blade was stopped as he worked his way through the crowd toward you two.” Her mother dropped a small, concealable hand crossbow next to the dagger. “The bolt loaded onto this is also poisoned.” She added a pistol. “No poison here, but the owner was in the act of aiming at Jason when she was taken down.”
“That's everything?” Kira asked, puzzled.
“Pretty much. Two Mages tried to use invisibility spells to get through the crowd.”
“I didn’t sense them.”
“They got stopped before they got anywhere near you. Both had those long Mage knives like your father carries.”
Kira sat down on the bed. “Why is part of me saying, ‘Is that all there is’?”
“Because it’s not much. It’s a pathetic level of effort to kill Jason. The Imperials must have known he’d have tight security around him. Why didn’t they try harder?” Her mother pushed aside the pistol. “Not a single rifle. A sniper is an obvious threat. We were watching for multiple snipers. There weren’t any. And no Mages capable of sending fire or lightning.”
“Maybe they just weren’t ready,” Kira said. “We caught them off guard. Oh, stars above, will Jason and I have to do that again?”
Mari shook her head. “Whatever else you can say about the Imperials, they are not that sloppy. They should have done a better job. These attempts look like a feint, designed to throw us off or maybe make us complacent. We’ll see what happens at the big diplomatic reception and dinner tonight. There will be delegations from all the embassies in Tiaesun, as well as a lot of notables from Tiae and Tiae’s military, but also officers and officials from all the Imperial ships as well as from the Imperial embassy. Make sure Jason knows to keep his guard up.”
“Yes, Mother. I know you and Father are concerned about Jason having a concealed knife tonight, but I really think Jason can be trusted with it. Aunt Bev has been teaching him how to use a knife. And he ought to have it if he's being used as bait.”
Her mother frowned in thought, then nodded. “You're right.”
* * *
Kira walked down the hallway beside Jason, her mother and father walking a short distance in front of them. Kira felt on display again, the unfamiliar weight and pressure of the thigh holster under her dress adding to her discomfort. At times like this her close resemblance to how her mother had looked at her age once again became a source of anxiety.
Her father was wearing his best Mage robes, of course. Jason was in a nice suit, looking to Kira’s eyes like a dashing hero. The suit coat did a perfect job of hiding the knife in a sheath under Jason's arm. Kira and her mother were decked out in matching sleeveless dresses, draped over one shoulder and caught at the waist with jeweled belts which Sien had pressed upon them. Angled hems fell to the ankle on one side before rising to knee-length on the other. Discreet slits on the outer seams of the skirts seemed designed as wide pockets but were primarily to give easy access to the thigh holsters. Open sandals laced up to their calves completed the ensemble. Judging from the way Jason had stared when he’d first seen her in it, Kira looked pretty good in the outfit.
“Like a Greek goddess,” Jason had whispered in awed tones.
“What’s a Greek goddess?”
“Someone really special. I guess you’d be Athena.”
“I’m Kira, Jason. They haven’t taken that name away from me yet.”
She didn’t dress up very often, but it had felt good to see Jason’s reaction. Now, with men of all ages gawking at her, Kira felt more self-conscious than beautiful.
“Lady Master Mechanic Mari of Dematr, the daughter of Jules. Sir Master of Mages Alain of Ihris. Lady Kira of Dematr. Jason of Urth.” The functionary making the announcement of their entry had a nice voice that rang clearly across the great hall where the reception was taking place.
It was the first time she had heard herself called Kira of Dematr, and from the looks she was getting the name had surprised more than a few people.
“Don’t leave my side,” Kira whispered to Jason.
Like the streets of Tiaesun, the Great Hall in Queen Sien's palace had been almost perfectly restored except for places where the damage caused by the decades of anarchy had been left intact as a remembrance and a warning. The high ceiling was painted to mimic a night sky, golden stars shimmering as they reflected the light from chandeliers. The pillars supporting the ceilings were tinted to look like the trunks of huge trees, while the walls were white, aside from sections still marred by old scorch marks from fires, and where clever paintings in arched alcoves along the walls looked like doorways into real outdoor scenes set around the Kingdom of Tiae. “Trompe l'oeil,” Jason said when he saw them.
“They're called eye tricks,” Kira corrected him.
“That's what tromp l’oeil means.”
“Then why didn't you just say eye trick instead of tromploy?”
“Because it sounds cooler in French,” Jason said.
The hall was a riot of color, military uniforms from every country on Dematr standing out in shades of Imperial dark red, the Confederation's scarlet, the green and gold of Tiae, the various shades of blue from the Free Cities, the black and green of the Western Alliance, and the dusky purple of Syndar. The suits and dresses of the others present ran the gamut from white to black and every shade in between.
Kira stayed glued to her mother and father as they wandered through the hall chatting briefly with assorted diplomats, rulers, military officers and officials. Kira admired the way her parents without being obvious about it stayed clear of the white suits and dark red uniforms that marked groups of Imperials. As usual, Mari and Alain were the center of attention. The white shock through Mari's raven hair—what everyone called her Mage Mark, since it had appeared after Alain revived her at Dorcastle—drew gazes as it always did. But many eyes went to Kira and lingered as well. “I can’t believe that I once wanted people to notice me,” she said to Jason in a low voice.
“At least you belong here,” Jason grumbled in reply.
“Why don’t you belong here?” Kira asked.
“You’re the daughter of Mari and Alain, and you’ve done some pretty great things, and I’m…not much.”
“Jason, I am proud to be walking with you! Mother! Does Jason belong with us?”
Mari looked back for a moment and smiled. “Absolutely.”
“See? You can’t dispute the judgment of the daughter of Jules, you know. That would get you in all kinds of trouble.”
“Kira…” Jason shrugged. “I can’t help it. I keep thinking that any day now I’m going to wake up and find out I overdosed on some drug or something and have been hallucinating back on Earth. You’re too wonderful.”
Kira almost rolled her eyes in self-derision at that, but remembered in time how many people were watching them.
“What have I done to deserve any of this?”
Jason continued.
“Saved millions, maybe billions of lives? Risked your own life doing that? Does that ring any bells?”
Jason shook his head. “I’ll never really be one of your family. I don’t belong.”
Kira frowned, then gripped Jason’s face firmly with both hands, gazing into his eyes. “Jason, are you saying that if I decided to propose to you that you’d turn me down?”
“No. But—”
“Because if you are sure that you’d never want to promise yourself to me just tell me so I can fall apart and then start trying to put myself back together again. I’m sorry I don’t know for certain yet. But I do know that my misgivings have nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. And I know that I have never liked any boy as much as I like you. Not even close.”
Jason finally smiled. “Okay.”
Doctor Sino arrived at precisely the right moment. “Jason! How is my favorite patient?” she asked.
“Okay,” Jason repeated, grinning. “How’s life on an alien world?”
“So much fun,” Sino said. “Making such a difference. The luckiest day of my life was when I got marooned along with you. Did you hear they told me to stop providing medical care?”
“Who did?” Kira asked.
“Earth. Over the Feynman transmitter. They said I am corrupting your planet’s unique culture with disruptive technology.”
“You’re not listening to them, are you?”
“No,” Sino said, grinning and shaking her head. “It’s my job to save lives and help people. You should have heard what Earth said when they learned I’d been stranded with my med kit! I’m afraid someone is going to be in a lot of trouble when she gets back to Earth.”
“Thanks for not saying my mother’s name,” Jason said.
“And thank you for what you did for my mother,” Kira added. “It means so much to her and Father.”
“I’m a doctor,” Sino said, waving away the thanks. “Have you seen my horse? I’ve got a horse! I named her Twilight, because she’s really smart. For a horse. Oh, there’s Queen Sien. I have to talk to her. Excuse me!”
Kira, smiling, watched Sino walk away quickly, but her good humor faded as someone else spoke her name in rigidly formal tones.
“Lady Kira.”
She turned to see an Imperial standing close by. He was a legionary, resplendent in the dark red uniform of the legions, a ceremonial short sword at his side. In his hand was an envelope sealed with golden wax.
“I have the honor of delivering this to you, Lady,” the legionary said.
Kira’s parents had turned. Her father spoke, his voice lacking all emotion as Mages had once been taught to speak, and sounding all the more intimidating for that. “Kira is underage. If that is an official communication, it should have come to Lady Mari. If it is personal, it should have come to her parents.”
The legionary nodded, his face impassive. “I was ordered to deliver it directly to the hands of Lady Kira, sir.”
“I don’t want him punished for not doing as ordered,” Kira said. She reached, took the envelope from the legionary, then immediately passed it to her mother.
“Thank you, Lady,” the legionary said. He saluted Kira, then turned and vanished back into the crowd.
“That was a nice compromise, Kira,” Mari said as she opened the envelope. “Maybe you will be able to take over my job someday and I can retire.”
“Don’t even joke about that, Mother.”
“Hmmm. This is an invitation to a private meeting with Prince Maxim.”
Kira shuddered at the idea. “No.”
“Just you and him.” Her mother passed the letter to Kira’s father. “You'd have your pistol with you.”
“No.”
Alain folded up the letter and put it away in an inside pocket of his Mage robes. “Then you will not need this.”
They reached Queen Sien, dressed in full cavalry uniform but wearing the formal crown of Tiae rather than a helm, who greeted them all warmly. Kira only nodded in reply, emotions warring within her, then defiantly saluted just as if she were still a Lancer and wearing the uniform.
Sien returned the salute gravely. “Thank you for coming, Lady Kira of Dematr. And for bringing Jason of Urth, who has done much for a world not his own.”
“This is his world now, Your Majesty,” Kira said. “He…doesn’t belong anymore in the place that was once his.”
“I hope he, and anyone else who feels so lost, realizes they will always have a home wherever their heart lies,” Sien said. “A home where they will always be welcome.”
Once through the line, her parents stopping to talk to some high officers in Tiae’s army, Kira darted away, hauling Jason toward the bathrooms. “I need them even if you don’t.”
“I need them,” Jason said.
It wasn’t until Kira was inside the women’s bath that she realized in her distress over the encounter with Sien she had not only walked away from her parents but also separated herself from Jason. She didn’t even know if any bodyguards had followed them. Kira saw two women in stylish Imperial gowns looking at her and whispering to each other as she turned around and left.
Jason wasn't visible outside yet, so Kira went toward a refreshment table that was set near the door to wait for him.
Turning again with drink in hand, she froze, staring into the crowd. A young woman was just turning away, but Kira had the odd feeling that she resembled Kira herself so much that it was almost like looking into a mirror. Her hair and clothes were different, but the face had seemed eerily similar in the brief glimpse Kira had. She started to move away from the table, determined to catch that other girl and get a good look at her.
But before Kira could take more than one step she found herself confronting a semicircle of Imperial officers and officials who rapidly formed a solid barrier, penning Kira in next to the table. She stared at their impassive faces as her stomach knotted, her hand tightening on the glass she was holding.
Chapter Three
“What are you doing?” Kira said. “Let me by.” Were the Imperials insane, pulling such a stunt in a room full of other people?
Instead of replying, the wall of Imperials turned their backs. Kira found herself facing a man in his late twenties in a legionary field marshal's uniform glittering with gold, silver, and jeweled medals. His smile was supposed to be winning but to Kira appeared arrogant and smug. “You have the honor to make the acquaintance of Prince Maxim, Crown Prince and heir to the throne of the Empire of Maran,” he announced.
“So?” Kira said, her voice and expression both flat and unimpressed.
Maxim dropped his smile. “I had been told that you were schooled in court etiquette. Apparently I was misinformed.”
“Apparently,” Kira said, refusing to yield in the slightest.
“That can be remedied,” Maxim said. “Once you are at the Imperial Court.”
“I can’t imagine anything I would want less.”
“I will instruct you personally.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Kira said, mentally measuring the distance to Maxim’s neck. Could she deliver a disabling blow with her free hand without leaving the side of the table? This dress wasn’t suited for high kicks. “Excuse me?”
“I said,” Maxim repeated in the manner of someone trying to control his temper, “that it is the wish of all the people of this world that our houses be joined to ensure peace.”
“Oh, wow,” Kira said. “Sorry. I’m actually really interested in a guy who came from another world.”
“You are very confident of yourself, aren’t you? Perhaps that is misplaced,” Maxim said. “I am not to be taken lightly.”
“See this scar?” Kira asked, pointing near her bare shoulder. “That came from a dragon’s claw. While I was killing the dragon. Why would I be intimidated by you?”
Further conversation was halted as a wedge of officers from the Tiae army and fleet physically forced their way through the protective
ring of Imperials, Kira’s parents walking through the gap that had been opened. Kira saw the thundercloud riding on Mari’s brow and smiled at Maxim.
“What is the meaning of this?” Mari demanded.
“I am simply attempting to make polite conversation,” Maxim said.
“Then I suggest that you seek out other sources of conversation. Immediately,” Mari snapped. “There had better not be a repetition of this kind of thing.”
“You forget to whom you speak,” Maxim said, glowering.
“I know exactly who I'm talking to,” Mari said. “This isn't Imperial territory. A wise leader would know better than to try throwing his weight around when he’s a guest in someone else's country. Kira?”
Kira followed her mother, getting the uncomfortable feeling that Maxim’s gaze on her back was like that of someone aiming a weapon.
Jason joined them, looking anxious. “I tried to get through to you but some guys blocked me.”
“You left Jason alone?” Mari demanded.
“I couldn’t go into the bathroom with him!” Kira protested. “I didn’t think—” She stopped herself, feeling awful. “I didn’t think. I’m sorry, Jason.”
“What did Maxim try?” her mother asked.
“I guess he thought I’d be impressed by meeting him. I’m pretty sure he could tell I wasn’t.”
Her mother laughed. “I’ve been the object of that treatment from you enough to imagine what went on. You burned him?”
“Like a welding torch,” Kira said. “It’s what I do to obnoxious men.”
“I remember,” Jason said.
“Oh, you got off lightly,” Kira said. “I'm sorry, Mother. And I'm sorry again to you as well, Jason. I got so absorbed in my own…”
“Drama?” Mari suggested.
“Whatever. I promise I will be more careful.”
A bell sounded, calling those invited to a special dinner. Kira held onto Jason as she followed her parents toward the large room where a long table was set, but as the line paused outside she suddenly remembered her brief glimpse of that other girl. “Jason, have you seen anybody else here who looks like me?”
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