After the Crown

by K. B. Wagers

“I sat here.” I touched the edge of the desk just to the left of the heavy leather chair. “And recited the planets in the empire to him while he worked. I got them all right, so he took me to the beach.” My voice felt thick in my throat. I sank down into his chair and reached for the old-fashioned photo in a solid wooden frame.

  My father, younger than I was now, smiled back at me with his arms looped around two men. His best friends—they’d all gone to the Academy together. I frowned, unable to remember their names. Both had been killed in a shipboard accident just before the start of the war.

  “The day before he died, I sat here and studied for the naval entrance exam,” I continued, setting the frame back on the desk. “He always preferred the chairs by the fireplace. We were going to talk Mother into letting me go early.”

  “Haili, baby. Go on.” Dad’s voice was weak over our smati link and his blood was all over my hands.

  “I won’t leave you.” I gripped my father’s hand tighter at the sound of his voice in my head.

  “I don’t want you to see this. Go on. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I replied in my head because I didn’t trust my voice to say the words as I let my BodyGuards drag me away.

  “Majesty, are you all right?”

  I wiped the tears away and forced a smile. “Uff. We’ll keep the furniture and the books, Stasia. Pack up everything else and put it in storage.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  We got the office cleaned out, and I settled into the desk to read briefings. But the late afternoon found me restless again, and I paced the confines of the office while Zin stood quietly by the door.

  The news was playing on the wall, the endless replay of the riots interrupted by a story about General Prajapati’s trial. The trial room itself was media locked, but that didn’t stop them from speculating on the events of the day. There was little question of the general’s guilt; she’d admitted as much in my throne room. However, she was popular and good at her job. The calls for a royal pardon had already started.

  “Damned if I’m going to be able to execute her,” I muttered.

  “Majesty?”

  “Prajapati.” I made a face and poked my finger at the images on the wall. “I’m not going to be able to execute her. I need her. Plus her lawyer’s argument is solid. She was supporting what she thought was the better choice for the throne. We have zero proof they included her in any of the other plans.”

  “This isn’t a democracy, ma’am.” Zin actually sounded offended and I covered my mouth with a hand to hold in the laugh.

  “And thank Shiva for it,” I managed. “Things are messy enough as it is.”

  “What did you mean when you said you need her?”

  I replaced the stream of the news with General Prajapati’s file. “She was first in her class at Mumbai. She set records in the annual war games at the Royal Military Academy that haven’t been broken in fifty years. She defeated the Saxons on the ground on four separate planets during the war.

  “I can’t throw all that skill away, even if she’s a traitor. Even if she hates my guts. It’d be foolish. Unless a miracle happens we’ll be at war with the Saxons again before the end of next year.”

  “You won’t be able to trust her.”

  “I know. I have to hope she hates the Saxons more than me, or is telling the truth in her claims that she was doing what was best for the empire and prove to her I am what’s best.” I shrugged. “In the meantime, I’ll put someone on her with orders to shoot her in the head if she looks like she’s going to commit treason again.”

  Zin didn’t comment with anything more than a raised eyebrow.

  “I need to get out of here.” I spun in a circle. “I’m calling Stasia for my coat.”

  “Majesty, we’re not prepared for you to leave the palace.”

  “Dhatt.” I threw my hands in the air. “I have to go somewhere. I’ve been cooped up here for too long, Zin. Are we really expecting someone to take another shot at me so soon?”

  “We’re always expecting it,” he replied.

  I made a face at him. “You sound like Emmory. Can I go to the library? I’m reasonably sure we can manage to keep me alive for that trip.”

  Zin nodded.

  I grabbed the gray woolen sari from where I’d discarded it hours earlier and draped it over my green pants and top.

  My three BodyGuards were in quiet conference in the hallway when I emerged, and Kisah and Gita both bowed. “Majesty.”

  I nodded in reply.

  Don’t rush out of your meeting. I promise I won’t leave the palace. We’ll be in the library when you’re done. I sent Emmory the note even though I was fairly sure Zin had messaged him the moment I’d left my office.

  The palace bustled with activity as we moved through the hallways. People curtsied or bowed as I passed, and I stopped occasionally to chat with those whose faces were growing more familiar by the day.

  I waited with Zin at the doors of the library while my BodyGuards cleared the room. It wasn’t open to the public, but authorized personnel were allowed access to the specialized material within.

  In a digital world, print books still thrived, but most records were kept electronically. It was a rare collection of printed work housed here.

  Mother had added extensively, if a bit randomly, to the collection, buying books from all over the empire as well as the Solarian Conglomerate and other places. I’d asked Father about it once and he said it made her happy.

  I inhaled the familiar and comforting smell of old paper and crossed to the wide leather chairs by the massive fireplace. Besides Father’s office, the palace library had been my favorite childhood hideout, curled up in a chair with a paper book or something on my smati, hiding from the world and from Mother.

  The wave of nostalgia swamped me and I swayed for a moment. Zin closed a hand on my elbow.

  “Majesty?”

  “I’m all right. Just remembering.”

  Logs were stacked in the fireplace. As I grabbed the lighter from the mantel and knelt, Gita moved to intercept me.

  “Majesty, let me—”

  I cut her off with a look. “I’m the empress, Gita, not an invalid.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry.”

  “You’ll learn,” I said, and lit the fire. It took a few moments of fussing to get the logs to catch, and the air-recyclers kicked in the moment their sensors detected a change in the CO2 levels along with the rising smoke.

  I rocked back on my heels and got to my feet. “Zin, have we heard from Taz?”

  “He arrived back at the palace this morning, Majesty. Alba arranged a room for Shivan in the guest quarters until we could work him into the new schedule.”

  “Are you going to kick up a huge fuss if I message him and ask him to join me?” I gave Zin my best innocent expression in response to his very exasperated look.

  “Majesty, he’s the second ranking member of the Upjas.”

  “Who’s here at my request. I’m sure he’s been screened several times since he arrived. You can even do it again when Alba gets here with him.” There was a knock at the library doors, and I beamed at Zin.

  Gita was staring at us with wide brown eyes. Kisah grinned and headed for the door after Zin. “You’ll learn,” she said to the older woman as she passed, patting her on the arm.

  I settled into the chair, wrapping the gray fabric around myself and tucking my feet up underneath me. The flames popped and crackled in the grate over the voices across the room.

  “Your Majesty.”

  I smiled up at Taz, but it wasn’t returned. “Have a seat. Do you want something to drink?”

  “If it’s no trouble. Tea would be fine.”

  “Alba?”

  “Yes, Majesty.” She left the room.

  Taz settled into the other chair. He was dressed in a navy blue Nehru jacket, and his cream pants were loose except where they cuffed at the ankle.

  “I’m sorry for my informal attire,
Majesty. Your summons caught me by surprise.”

  “You look fine. And ‘Would you like to talk?’ is hardly a summons.”

  “It is when it comes from the empress.”

  “What’s with the hostility?” I raised an eyebrow at him as I sat up straighter. Alba’s heels clacked efficiently on the hardwood as she came back into the library with a tray. She set it on the little table nearby. I nodded my thanks and took the cup of chai she handed me.

  I studied Taz over the rim of the mug. I’d thought after our first meeting we were going to slide back into friendship as though the last twenty years hadn’t happened. However, the bruised wariness in his eyes told me I’d been an idiot to even consider it.

  “Many thanks.” Taz smiled at my chamberlain as she handed him a cup of tea.

  Swallowing back the urge to ask the question a second time, I let Taz fix his tea. After he’d put enough sugar and milk into it to set a schoolyard full of children into spasms and drunk more than half the cup, he finally looked back at me.

  “You’ve learned patience, Majesty,” he said with a half smile.

  “I had it beaten into me.”

  He still was as easy to read as ever, surprise flickering across his face while he tried to decide if I was joking or not.

  “You arrested some of my people,” he said finally.

  “I haven’t arrested anyone.”

  “Fine, the police arrested my people. What are you going to do about it?”

  I didn’t have to look around to know what my BodyGuards’ reactions were. Gita’s inhale wasn’t quiet enough and I could feel Zin’s glare like a laser blast slicing through the air. I set my cup down and stared at Taz.

  The silence drew itself out into a single thread before he lowered his eyes to the floor and murmured, “Apologies, Your Majesty, I was out of line.”

  “Don’t do it again. There are laws in place for what happened the other day, Tazerion.” His full name felt awkward in my mouth. “We are not going to interfere and make things worse.”

  “I am sorry, Majesty. Your mother would have had them shot.”

  “I’m not my mother.” I pushed out of my chair and set my cup on the mantel before resting both hands on the warm stone. The flames danced over the logs, curling around edges and blackening the wood as they flared brighter. A log collapsed, sending up a burst of sparks.

  “That is very obvious.” Taz had stood when I did. Setting aside his tea, he looked to Zin for approval before moving to the fire. “Things are changing. Sometimes it’s a little much for any of us to handle.”

  “You don’t say.” I looked away from the fire at him. A tentative smile flickered in his eyes. “Why didn’t you come with me?”

  “I remember very clearly you saying you needed to do this on your own. That I shouldn’t waste my life on your pursuit of vengeance, Majesty.”

  “It’s just as well,” I murmured. “You probably would have died out there. Everyone else did.”

  “I know. I’m sorry for your losses.”

  “It is over and done.” I grabbed the fire iron to poke at the logs. “I am more concerned with Indrana’s future than shedding tears about my past. Emmory says Abraham has left the capital.”

  “As I said the other day, the Upjas are fractured.” He glanced over his shoulder at my BodyGuards again. “There’s more to it than just that. Princess Cire’s death hit Abraham hard. He has not recovered and I do not think he will. He loved your sister.”

  “I know.” I smiled sadly.

  “Taz, was Atmikha their daughter?” I asked the question over my smati because saying it out loud would have been a ridiculous risk.

  “Abraham has not spoken of it, but I believe it to be true.”

  “So you’re taking over leadership?”

  “With his blessing, Majesty,” Taz replied. “We think it would be best.” His brown eyes reflected his earnest words. “There is hope that I can rally them enough to work toward the peace we all want. I am hoping you are willing to—”

  One of the library doors banged open and Emmory strode in. He said something sharp to Zin, making his partner flinch, but Emmory’s face was expressionless when he stopped and nodded to me. “Majesty.”

  “That was an entrance, Ekam.” I picked up my cup and took a drink. “What is it?”

  “Shivan, step back from the empress.”

  I raised an eyebrow at Emmory’s tone. Taz took a step back but met my Ekam’s look with an easy smile.

  “The empress requested me.”

  “The empress you wish to depose,” Emmory said.

  “I wish for equality, Ekam, nothing more. Despite the circumstances that put her there, I am happy to see her on the throne.”

  “Majesty, it is an unwise decision to meet with this man without more security.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Everyone froze. The crackling of the fire was the only sound in the room and I could barely hear it over the pounding of my heart. I set my mug down carefully on the mantelpiece and rolled through my possible responses.

  “Tazerion, it was a pleasure. Thank you for speaking with me. I’ll see you tomorrow. Alba will take you back to your room.”

  “Your Majesty. Ekam.” Taz executed a perfect bow and left the room.

  “The rest of you get out of here. Except for you,” I said, because Emmory actually turned to leave. The door closed behind Zin and I crossed my arms over my chest. “The next time you have something to say to me, either do it in private or over the com link. Don’t you ever question my judgment in front of someone like that again. Are we clear?”

  “I am concerned for your safety.”

  “Cowshit. You’re questioning my competence, Emmory. That’s two different things. I’m not an idiot, but treating me like that in front of a rebel sure makes me look like one.”

  “You met with a rebel leader with only three guards, none of whom were close enough to actually protect you from danger.”

  I took a step closer to him. “I could kick Taz’s ass twenty years ago and I’m a whole lot meaner now than I was back then.”

  “Your confidence is admirable, Majesty, but it’s my job to keep you safe. What if he’d been carrying a bomb like Ramani?”

  My stomach clenched at the little girl’s name. “I really want to punch you in the face right now,” I said, and turned away so that I wouldn’t give in to temptation.

  “He’s a member of the Upjas. His group is at least partially responsible for everything that has happened.”

  “The Upjas are fracturing. Christoph’s break was just the start. Abraham can’t keep them together, but he’s hoping that Taz will be able to, or at least convince the majority to stick with them. That’s the kind of thing I get from a meeting like this because there’s no way in Naraka Taz will say that tomorrow with all the recorders and people who will be present.”

  “Majesty—”

  “I’m not finished.” I whipped back around with my hand held up. “I don’t know what your problem is. I know what I’m doing here, whether I choose to share it with you or not. I’m going to follow my gut on certain things because it has never, ever lied to me. You are always welcome to disagree—in private—but in front of others you’ll keep your mouth shut. Is that understood?”

  Emmory snapped to attention, his shoulders and back perfectly straight. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Get out of here, I don’t want to see your face right now.” I was still furious and as his footsteps echoed out of the room I sank down to the floor, staring at the fire until my vision blurred.

  “Majesty?”

  I stood to look at Zin. There was worry on his face but otherwise not a hint of how he might be feeling. I exhaled and rubbed at my forehead. “I wasn’t being reckless, you get that, right? There was a reason for it.”

  “Emmory can be very focused at times, Majesty.”

  “Like a laser-guided missile.”

  A smile cracked through Zin’s careful expression.
“Yes, ma’am.”

  “I realize you didn’t answer my question.” I shot him a look and tapped my fingers on the tabletop as I passed. Glancing out the window at the sun hanging low in the sky, I shuddered. The tremor at the sudden thought of the night descending surprised and then infuriated me.

  “Hai Ram. Am I really terrified of going to sleep?”

  “Majesty?”

  “Was there a story in my file about Rastinghowl?”

  Zin frowned, his gray-green eyes unfocusing for a moment as he searched for the information. “No, ma’am.”

  “Interesting. Though I guess I’m not surprised Portis didn’t share it. Someone would have ordered him to bring me home right then if they’d known.”

  “What happened there?”

  “Rastinghowl isn’t a place. He’s a person. Was a person.” I moved back to the fire and knelt in front of it. “He was wholly convinced that the world was ending and that his God would save him and his followers. I’m still not sure what he needed the guns for, but that’s the logic of madmen, I guess.

  “Hao shouldn’t have done the deal in the first place. I told him not to, begged even. The whole thing felt wrong. But the money was too good to pass up. It went sideways, like those things always do, and we all ended up captive.” I looked over my shoulder at Zin. “Rastinghowl and his followers took that whole ‘body of Christ’ thing literally. They ate Hamish before we managed to escape.”

  The shudder slid up my spine and I stuck my hands closer to the fire as Zin knelt at my side.

  “I stabbed that man with his own knife and slept like a baby after. Hao never doubted my gut again. All the shit I’ve seen, why is it that now I can’t stop the nightmares?”

  “Everyone has a breaking point, Majesty. You’re safe, at least for the moment. It’s natural to lose it a little.” Zin grabbed the poker and fiddled with the fire for several moments. “It’s the same reason Emmory is wound so tight right now. In his experience things always go to shit right after the big events die down.”

  “That’s what his problem is? He thinks I’m going to mess something up because I’ve let my guard down?”

  Zin didn’t answer me right away, and when he did, his eyes were on the fire, not on me. “Dhatt,” he muttered. “He’s not worried about you letting your guard down. He’s afraid he will.”