Mari walked to him and took his chin so that he had to look into her eyes. “Jason, you have more adult in you than many twice your age. That’s not what this is about. When we find Kira, when we know what needs to be done, we need you to be alive and well and able to help. And if— When we get Kira back, she will want you to be all right.”
“There’s nothing I can do?” Jason asked, plaintive.
“Not now. Jason, there’s not a lot I can do,” Mari said. “Do you think you’re unhappy about this? But if we keep our heads, and trust in Kira as her father advised, then Kira will have a chance. Do you believe that?”
He nodded. “I know the last thing you need to worry about is me. Not when Kira needs help.”
Queen Sien reached to squeeze Jason’s shoulder. “I will speak with my people and arrange Jason’s transport north by train. Mari, you can also call Alli on the palace far-talker to let her know what is happening.”
“Strength, Jason,” Mari murmured to him. “That’s what Kira needs. For us to be strong.”
* * *
Kira opened her eyes, blinking in confusion at her surroundings. This wasn’t the room she had been staying at in Sien’s palace. It wasn’t anywhere she remembered. The furnishings looked—no certainly were—those of a ship, everything fastened down. The bed she was in, the whole room, was moving, rocking in a way Kira had no trouble recognizing.
She was on a ship, and one that was under way.
Chapter Four
How had she come to be on a ship, and why did her head hurt?
Sitting up carefully as her head spun with dizziness, Kira looked around for some clue as to what ship this was. The room wasn’t that large and didn’t contain much. The bunk she was on, fastened against one wall. A small desk with a single chair before it. A small alcove to one side, which Kira could see contained a wash basin and a chamber pot. Two sealed light fittings with electric lights in them. A ventilation grate about as long as her lower arm and as wide as the length of her palm, and with a tight metal mesh over it, was high up on one wall. Everything seemed luxurious for a ship, though.
She looked at the furnishings again, the designs of the light fixtures, the quality and style of the fabrics. They all reeked of Imperial opulence. Kira herself had never been to the Empire, but she had seen things from there, and the objects in this room reminded her unpleasantly of items she knew had originated in the Empire. And they all looked new, as if this ship had not been in service long.
Kira realized that she could feel and faintly hear the vibrations from a steam engine driving a propeller. This wasn’t a sailing ship.
A new steam-driven ship with Imperial fittings inside. That added up to a very ugly answer as to where she was.
Kira paused to look down at herself, seeing that she was fully dressed in the shirt and trousers she last remembered wearing. What if she hadn’t changed out of that dress? Nice to look at, but not the sort of thing she would have wanted to be wearing now.
Kira looked under her jacket and saw that her shoulder holster was gone, along with the pistol it had held. So was the sailor knife she usually wore at her belt.
Still a little dizzy, she carefully got to her feet, took a couple of shaky steps to the door, and tried to open it. Kira wasn’t surprised to find it locked. She glanced at the door’s hinges, which were inside the room but with plates fixed over them to prevent access.
That left the porthole on one wall, a cover in place over it. Kira went to it, and discovered that the metal cover of the porthole was also locked firmly in place.
This wasn’t a room. It was a prison.
Kira leaned her head against the door, trying to think. She heard people on the other side. Footsteps on what sounded like a metal deck matching that under the fine carpets in her room. Muffled conversations.
She raised one fist and banged on the door.
No response, except that the closest conversations halted.
Kira rapped her fist against the door again. “Open up!” she called.
Still no answer.
She went back to the bunk and sat down, her head still spinning slightly. Whatever had knocked her out wasn’t completely out of her system. What had it been? Something wet on that cloth. A chemical, most likely. Quicker-acting when inhaled than a drug.
How had they gotten into her room, and taken her out of the palace?
Kira inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly to calm herself, cautiously probing with her Mage senses. The ship was definitely well out to sea. She could tell by how little power was available around it. But there was something else….
A Mage was aboard this ship. She yanked back her senses, working to suppress them and hide her Mage presence again. Whoever that Mage was, he or she was probably employed by her kidnappers. The last thing she needed was for them to realize that she had any Mage powers.
Heavy footsteps sounded outside her door. Kira got up, standing with her arms crossed as she heard the sound of the lock opening. The door swung open.
Kira’s heart sank as Prince Maxim strolled into the room, smiling victoriously at her. Coming right behind him, four powerful-looking bodyguards spread out, their eyes on Kira.
She wouldn’t let him know she was frightened. Not even a little. “Release me immediately,” Kira said, keeping her voice level.
“I told you that you were going to Palandur,” Prince Maxim said.
“Are you that pathetic a man, that in order to get a woman you have your followers kidnap her?”
“Once in Palandur,” Maxim continued, “you will become my primary wife.”
“Your widow, you mean,” Kira said. “Because you’ll die if you try to touch me.”
“This will be better than I thought,” Maxim continued as if Kira hadn’t spoken. “I require a compliant woman. You will fill that role, and ensure that your mother does not act against the rightful and proper actions of the Empire to establish its predominant place in this world.”
“I know that men in love are delusional, but you’ve got something a whole lot worse and a whole lot uglier going on,” Kira said. She was surprised how firm her voice sounded, not reflecting how worried she was inside. She knew this was a very bad situation, and she had no idea how she was going to get out of it.
“I was annoyed by your attitude,” Maxim said. “But then I realized that breaking the will of a dragon slayer would be doubly rewarding. The day will come when you beg me to let you fulfill my every desire.”
“Just out of curiosity,” Kira said, hoping that she could get Maxim to reveal something by offering him the opportunity to brag, “how did you get me out of the palace and out of Tiaesun?”
He smiled again. “Our Mages have learned a few new tricks. Did you know that one Mage can block the presence of another Mage as well as the presence of themselves? Leaving the other Mage free to cast spells, whose presence is blocked from detection by yet a third Mage. We sent nine Mages into that palace. No other Mages spotted them or their spells. It required a lot of training and coordination, but the Empire excels at such things.”
“Congratulations,” Kira said, hoping that she would have a chance to warn her father about that new tactic. “Let me go. Now.”
Maxim’s smile this time held the cool arrogance of someone backed up by several strong guards. “Your attitude will make my victory all the sweeter.” He turned to go.
“Maxim,” Kira said, deliberately not using his title. “If you harm me, then if I don’t kill you, one of my family or friends will. But I’ll do my best to make sure I’m the one who pulls the trigger.”
He walked out without acknowledging her words.
The door closed and locked again.
Kira sat down. She wanted to beat her fists bloody against that locked door, but she held herself quiet and thought.
The Imperials had managed to spirit her out of Tiaesun. That was bad. But why hadn’t they been intercepted by ships of Tiae’s fleet? She could see a bare sliver of light at the seale
d porthole that told her it was daylight. Her mother and father would realize that she was gone, that she must be on Maxim’s ships, and Queen Sien would send out her fleet. Because Kira might not be one of Sien’s subjects anymore, but she was still Mari’s daughter.
And if the Imperial ships got past Tiae’s naval forces, which had grown slowly since the kingdom had been reborn, the Bakre Confederation would surely send out ships. Jane of Danalee would know that allowing the Empire to get away with kidnapping Kira would vastly increase the risk of further Imperial aggression. And Julan, the Confederation’s President in Chief, was a tough old bird who had lost a son during the last war. He wouldn’t hesitate. The Imperial ships would have to transit the Strait of Gulls, leaving them no room to evade a Confederation flotilla.
But what if somehow the Imperials made it past the Strait of Gulls? They’d still have to get past Gullhaven and Dorcastle, but they’d have a lot of room to hide in the Sea of Bakre. And once past Dorcastle there would be nothing to block them from reaching the Empire.
Kira gazed at the sealed porthole. At this moment the Imperials were surely running north through the Umbari Ocean toward the Strait of Gulls, far out of sight of land. If she made it off this ship now, she’d find herself drifting in the Umbari with odds of survival that pretty much added up to zero. But the Strait of Gulls was another matter. The stretch of water between Larharbor and Cape Astra wasn’t small, but there would be land visible on both sides, and either the Confederation or the Alliance would offer her protection if she made it ashore. Most likely, there would be friendly warships waiting that she could find refuge on.
But how to know when the ship reached the strait? The first mate of The Son of Taris had talked about the strait once. What had she said? Something about the waves of the sea and the waves of the ocean meeting to fight it out. Choppy waters.
Kira felt the sway of this ship on the long swells of the Umbari. She would know when they reached the strait and the waters changed. If the Imperials had gotten that far without being stopped, Kira would have to take a chance then.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the door was unlocked again. Four guards were visible outside as a tall, thin Imperial lady carried in a tray and set it on Kira’s desk. “Your dinner, Lady Kira.”
“You were at the dinner at Tiaesun,” Kira said, mentally labeling the woman Lady Elegant.
“Yes. We were supposed to distract that boy you were walking around with.” Lady Elegant smiled insincerely at Kira. “He looked so innocent. Do you like that sort? Teaching them how to please you before they learn any wrong lessons from other girls?”
“No,” Kira said, not trusting herself to say more. She lowered her voice. “If you help me—”
“Don’t bother,” Lady Elegant interrupted. “Nothing you could promise would be worth it to me. My loyalty to Prince Maxim is unshakeable,” she added, speaking loudly enough that all four guards could easily hear. “And, really, the idea of you becoming his ceremonial wife and learning your proper role appeals to me a great deal.”
“Why?” Kira said. “You don’t know me.”
“I know you well enough. I look forward to the day when your proud little head is meekly bowed before Prince Maxim while you beg to do anything he asks of you. Instead of strutting about like an empress, you’ll be crawling on your knees and liking it!”
Kira stared at her. “How could you wish such a fate on another woman? How could you wish such a fate on anyone?”
Lady Elegant’s eyes flared with anger. “Listen, little girl, you know nothing of the world. While you were born in a palace and getting everything you wanted and having servants do everything for you, I was born on a farm, the fourth daughter in a family of six children! I was working the fields from dawn to dusk as soon as I could walk! My fate was to either do that all my life, or marry some other poor farmer and bear him a litter of young while still working myself to death!
“But I did not accept that! I left that farm, and I fought, and I used people and I let people use me, and I made it to the Imperial Court when I was about your age,” Lady Elegant snarled at Kira. “Only I wasn’t a princess born and raised. I used everything I had to get close to power and to get rid of anyone in my way. And here I am, almost too old to have a chance left, and you come in, all fresh and innocent, candy for the appetites of the Imperial Court. You’ll probably destroy my last chance. I hope you suffer every moment of every day.”
Kira flinched, part of her wanting to retreat before Lady Elegant’s hostility. But that made her angry, stiffening her resolve. “How would me suffering make your life any better?”
“Only a fool would ask that question!”
“No,” Kira said. “My father has talked about this, about what the Great Guilds used to teach their members. They thought that tearing other people down made them higher. It didn’t. They stayed in the same place, because hurting other people never raises anyone. It just produces the illusion that you have gained stature when actually you’re going nowhere.”
Elegant’s eyes sparked with renewed anger. “I’ll remind you that you said that when you’re crawling at Maxim’s feet. We’ll see who’s higher then!”
“And I wasn’t born a princess in a palace!” Kira shot back. “I never lacked for the necessities of life, but I have never had luxuries and never had servants. Mother and Father insisted that I work and earn anything I wanted! And I seriously doubt that you have spent your entire life worried about assassins and kidnappers such as your contemptible Prince Maxim!”
The older woman looked like she was about to hit Kira, but drew back when Kira glared a warning at her. Lady Elegant whirled about in an eddy of fine fabric and perfume and paraded majestically from the room, leaving the tray on Kira’s desk.
The door shut firmly, the lock clicking into place.
Kira sighed, looking at the lock. Even if she had managed to hide her lock picks on her they wouldn’t do any good, since the lock was only accessible from the outside. That wouldn't stop her Mage talents, if she could summon them again, but that was something to be saved as a last resort.
The food was decent enough, slightly spicy in the Imperial style, and watered wine in the glass served to quench Kira’s thirst. She ate and drank cautiously at first, concerned about what might be in the food, but when no ill effects occurred Kira finished her meal.
Lady Elegant eventually returned to collect the tray. Kira just sat and looked at her, saying nothing, knowing that she had no friend in this woman.
But when Elegant had left, Maxim reappeared, once again backed by his extra guards and this time accompanied by a Mage. Kira would have had no trouble knowing what he was even without the robes he wore. Old enough to have been an Acolyte in the former Mage Guild, the man gazed at her with eyes that held no feeling in a face that showed no trace of life. It might as well have been the face of a dead man. She had seen that sort of face before in Mages, and once even from her own father, who had shown it after Kira begged. The experience had frightened her enough that she had sworn never to ask her father to look at her that way again.
She clamped down tightly on her own Mage presence, trying to look like she was only mildly curious at the arrival of the Mage.
“Well?” Maxim demanded of the Mage.
The Mage looked over Kira as if she were of no more interest than a lump of dirt. But Kira knew this Mage had even less regard for her than that. She would only be a shadow to this Mage, an illusion born of the Mage’s own mind, worthy of no consideration or care. Those had been the teachings of the Mage Guild, supposedly required for any Mage to be able to wield his or her powers.
“It is nothing,” the Mage said, his voice as dead as his expression, calling Kira “it” to further dehumanize her.
“No Mage powers? Nothing?” Maxim said.
“Nothing. A very tiny potential at best. The shadow is nothing.”
“Good,” Maxim said. “You said you had felt something earlier.”
“It could not have been that one,” the Mage said.
“My father knows wisdom,” Kira said to the Mage. “Master of Mages Alain. You should seek out his followers and regain the life the Mage elders stole from you.”
The Mage responded not in words but with another flat stare. Most people would have seen nothing in that stare, but thanks to her father’s training Kira was able to perceive the anger hidden deep within it. This was one of the Mages who rejected the truths her father had learned, clinging to the past.
“That one has no wisdom,” the Mage said in the same monotone.
“He can do what you cannot,” Kira said, deliberately provoking the Mage to see if it would cause trouble for Maxim. “It is you who lack wisdom.”
The Mage began to raise a hand but Maxim halted him. “She is mine. You have checked her and found nothing. Leave.”
Just before the Mage turned away Kira saw the flash of a different anger, this aimed, she was certain, at Maxim. But under that anger was something else. Contempt and…confidence? As if Maxim was serving the Mage, rather than the other way around?
Who then was the Mage serving? Were the unrepentant Mages trying to use the Imperials just as their elders in the old Mage Guild once had?
Maxim, the Mage, and the bodyguards departed, the door was locked, and Kira sat down again. Whatever the Mage was up to, he definitely was no friend of hers.
As long as they didn’t know that she had Mage powers, she had one small advantage that she might be able to use to escape. But she would have to wait. There was too little power to use out here on the open sea, and any attempt to form a spell would be spotted by that Mage.
Each time someone had entered this room there had been at least four guards outside. But Kira had watched them carefully, seeing that only two had been present each time the door had opened. When the door was locked, only two guards must be posted.
She could handle two guards. She had seen the way they looked at her, with the smug assurance of physically strong people. That would make it easier to surprise them when the right time came.
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