by Richard Fox
Remi looked to the sky, his palms turned up to catch a few drops.
“This isn’t good,” he finally said.
“And how is rain ever good?” Rain hit her flannel shirt, cold drops spreading against her skin, and she started to shiver.
“Come on.” He ran, she hobbled toward a pine tree with branches just thick enough to offer some protection from the rain. It found its way to them anyway down the labyrinth of needles.
Remi pulled a small metallic blanket from the pack and wrapped it around her.
“Sit on it or you’ll lose heat to the ground,” he said, his breath fogging in the freezing air.
Cosima complied, feeling a bit warmer even as rain dripped onto her.
Remi sat down, crossed his arms over his chest, and lowered his head. Raindrops ran down his face and dripped from his nose. He took his pulser from the holster and shoved it into the pack.
“You look miserable,” she said.
He neither replied nor even bothered to look at her.
The rain intensified, turning to sleet as tiny bits of ice snapped against rocks. Remi’s shoulders trembled as his body shivered to create heat.
Cosima scooted over next to him and lifted the blanket. A rush of cold air robbed her of what little comfort she’d achieved. She tried to put the edge of the small blanket over his shoulders, which proved just large enough to cover one shoulder each and provided little to no protection for the both of them.
Remi looked up and saw Cosima trying to help him, her face earnest and growing paler as the sleet storm grew stronger.
Remi gave her a little smile. He pulled her against him and sat her down, spooning her with his larger body. He wrapped the blanket around them, holding the edges in his hands.
Cosima nestled closer to him, feeling safe at last.
“Paul, why are you doing this for me? You got shot, right? Do you always take a bullet for a girl you just met?”
“Only when they need it,” he said.
“Honestly, I can keep a secret, isn’t saving a damsel in distress just a little bit appealing to you?”
Remi shifted nervously. “After consideration of my sworn duty, the greater interests of Sidonia, protecting the public…I suppose saving a princess has some appeal.”
“I knew it! I’ll have a white horse brought to the palace, and we’ll get a holographic dragon to torment me up in whatever tower I decide to lock myself in. ‘Save me, Sir Remi, your damsel needs you.’”
“I don’t know about ‘damsel.’ You can be a right pain in the ass sometimes.”
“Oh really!” She jabbed an elbow against his ribs. “You’re lucky you’re so warm. Don’t think I was kidding about throwing you into the dungeon.”
She jumped at a sudden crash of thunder. Remi wrapped his arms around her a little tighter.
“So maybe,” she said, “just maybe, you care about me?”
“Guardsmen can ask for a transfer off any protection assignment, no questions asked. I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t want to be,” he said.
“That’s the nicest almost-a-compliment I’ve had in a long time. You may be the only person on this planet who sees me as someone other than a thing to be married off and to…or someone who has to be killed. Promise you won’t leave me?”
“I promise.”
She turned her face up and kissed him on the cheek.
****
The rainstorm ended almost an hour later. The path had turned into the consistency of cooked oatmeal, which managed to make Cosima’s every step even more painful as her boots shifted in the mud, adding more friction against her suffering feet.
The path bent against a cliff, and Remi trotted ahead and looked down. “Good news, I can see Port Kenyon.”
She caught up to him and saw a bow-shaped bay and the town nestled against it a few miles away. An enclosed bullet-train line and a highway ran to and from the city.
“Civilization, finally.” She put a hand against Remi’s arm to steady herself. “Do I get a medal when we get there?”
“How about a change of clothes and lunch instead?”
“Now you’re talking my language.” She grimaced as pain shot up her calves. “This is why humans invented cars and domesticated horses. So they wouldn’t have to walk everywhere.”
“For what it’s worth, it is all downhill from here.”
“Checking to see if that makes me feel better…nope. Doesn’t,” she said. “Do you think Prince Francis has ever done something like this?”
“His physical activity seems limited to sitting at a desk and lifting drinks to his mouth,” Remi said. “Vincent completed Pathfinder school, but he’s slowed down some since his injuries.”
“What about Prince Quinn? He was in the army, right?” she asked.
Remi mulled over his answer. “The king is the commander in chief of all Sidonia’s military. He can delegate that authority to his family in the field. Quinn was always more interested in looking like he was part of the army than he was in actually learning how to lead it.”
“The video I saw…it doesn’t really match with the mural we saw at Orozco Center,” she said. “Why is that?”
“Artistic license,” Remi said.
“Did Quinn really lead a charge against the fortress? What really happened?”
Remi touched his hands against his sword hilt and his pulser.
“There were rumors…rumors that the king was displeased with Quinn and was going to cut him off from the line of succession. Quinn demanded a chance to redeem himself and took command of the expedition to rescue the ship seized by the pirates. We were there for the Sidonian crewmen, getting the ship and its cargo back weren’t a priority.
“After we’d boarded the Argosy in high orbit and rescued the crew, Quinn ordered a ground assault on the pirates. We could have smashed them from orbit, put no Sidonian lives at risk, and every other band of pirates in human space would think twice about targeting our ships. Instead, Quinn sent us into that meat grinder to get back the cargo. Art, it was all art. That bastard traded our blood for money.” Remi’s face twitched, the vestiges of anger not that far beneath his words and thoughts.
“Why would he do that? The Argosy was from a noble House; none of that money would touch the royal family.”
“To punish King Rasczak, Cosima. The king loves this planet and its citizens. To have so many soldiers dead and maimed…it was almost too much for the king. He took ill soon after the expedition returned. He hasn’t been the same since,” Remi said.
“Seems odd that Quinn would…lead a frontal assault from behind, then get killed in that same battle,” Cosima said.
“Quinn came into the fortress before we’d secured it,” Remi said. “A group of pirates we’d bypassed decided to make a break for it and ran into Quinn and his retinue. Plasma weapons were used, there wasn’t much left to recover.”
“You saw this happen?”
“No, just heard about it. Colonel Greer took command after that and got us off that rock.”
“Then why is Quinn made out to be the hero of the battle? Not Vincent?”
Remi gave Cosima a sad look.
“Public perception. The king wants the people to see the royal family as their protectors, benevolent rulers that act in their best interest. For a prince to throw the sons and daughters of Sidonia into the grinder like that, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Vincent could have ridden a wave of sympathy and been next in line for the throne, but that isn’t in his nature.”
“It doesn’t bother you that Francis, not Vincent, will be king? Isn’t Vincent the kind of person the king would want to succeed him?”
“There’s more to running a kingdom than valor and selflessness. Francis has a tremendous aptitude for negotiation and business. He will make a fine king. Vincent will remain the head of the military and the intelligence services. They will lead Sidonia, Francis from the fore, Vincent from the shadows.”
“Seems like Vincent cou
ld take over whenever he wants. The army and the guard are with him,” she said.
Remi chuckled. “We are with him because he is loyal, honorable. The moment he steps from light he’ll find himself very, very alone. You know our oath is to Sidonia and the king, never to an upstart.”
“Where will I fit in all of this, once I’m queen?” she asked.
“That will be up to you, Cosima.”
****
The path led to a park just outside of Port Kenyon. The children’s playground was empty. Cold, wet weather kept families indoors and away from the elements. A few ground cars parked far from one another in the parking lot next to a baseball diamond were the only signs of the locals.
Once he’d seen the park, Remi took Cosima off the trail and stopped in a small clearing out of sight from the path and the park. He pointed to an old tree trunk, hollowed out and rotted by time.
“You need to stay here. I’ll go into town and get you a change of clothes and tickets for us to get out of here,” he said.
“Do you think I don’t know how to shop for myself? I’m going with you, don’t be ridiculous,” she said.
Remi gently grabbed her by both arms.
“You are the most famous, most recognizable woman on the planet. If you set one foot in town, you will be mobbed, especially if they think you’ve gone missing from the palace. I don’t know how Stolzoff and Vincent are handling this mess publicly.” He pulled the pulser from his holster and offered it to her, handle first. “You know how to use this?”
“Alone? You’re going to leave me alone out here?” She took the pistol and thumbed the safety off. Remi snapped the weapon back on safe with a flick of his finger.
“Not a toy. Only aim at what you intend to shoot. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay out of sight, and if there’s any trouble, run into town and find the constable. He’ll get you back to the palace if I can’t.” He gave her a pat on the arm and left, his steps thumping against the wet ground.
Cosima sat on a root, old and thick, rising from the dirt like a wave off the ocean. She glanced around. Skrats scampered through the underbrush, and sparrows and pigeons flew from branch to branch, knocking water loose from the needles with each landing.
The distant whoosh of passing bullet-train cars was an infrequent reminder that civilization was nearby.
An overwhelming sense of dread built up inside her. She gripped the pulser hard, her knuckles white as she glanced over her shoulders.
She remembered her father’s lessons on worry and anxiety. She had to find what was making her feel this way, know that this was her body’s way of reacting to stress and stimulus. A spacer had to keep their calm; the void killed those who panicked and those who let their body make decisions for the mind.
“I’m alone,” she said. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was well and truly alone. No Lana at her beck and call, no space station full of people around her. No Remi to protect her. She’d spent her entire life waited on and protected; now there was no one.
Every twig snap and birdcall manifested itself to her like an approaching war droid.
As fear grew in her chest, every heartbeat sending another pulse of ice water through her body, she wanted to sink into the ground. Bury herself there until Remi came back to rescue her from nothing more dangerous than her own fears.
She felt her body tremble, the adrenaline building in her scant muscles. Sounds grew more distinct. The smell of wet earth, rotting wood, and salt-tinged air blowing in off the bay. She had felt like this the first time she’d soloed a mining skiff across the silver rings, before she did her float from spire to spire on the station. There had been real danger then; now she was surrounded by fuzzy lizards and birds.
Cosima’s tension slipped away, lessening with each breath she took in through her nose and out through her mouth. No queen should ever be afraid of something as innocuous as being alone.
Still, she wished Remi would hurry the hell up and get back to her.
A branch snapped behind her. She fumbled with the pulser and dropped it. It bounced off the root and fell beneath a fern. She sprang from her seat and tried to reach the weapon, pawing at the ground.
A bush rustled and something moved toward her. Cosima whined and her fingers finally brushed against the gun. Her fingernails raked across the handle and pulled it an inch closer to her.
She reached again and grabbed the pulser, then swung it over the root and aimed it at the moving bush…and saw a deer emerge from behind it. The animal had a wad of flowers in its mouth and chewed without much concern for Cosima’s presence.
“Seriously?” She pressed her thumb against the safety, but it was already set to safe. She might have caused the deer more harm if she’d thrown the pulser instead of trying to shoot it.
Sidonia’s deer population had been transplanted to the planet in the years after human settlement. The animals ate a number of native weeds that were a problem for farmers, and they found a niche in the local ecosystem. Hunting the animals was strictly prohibited until they’d colonized the continent. As such, most of the deer didn’t have a fear of humans.
Cosima stood up and reached a hand out to the deer. The animal sniffed her hand with a moist nose and stepped away. Leaves rustled around the deer, and two fawns, both striped and spotted, poked out from the undergrowth.
“Well, looks like they’re safe,” Cosima said.
The mother deer flicked its ears and wandered away.
****
Remi ran through the woods, a brand new backpack thumping against his lower back in time with his footfalls. Port Kenyon had everything they’d need and at tourist prices. Buying new clothes wasn’t too unusual in a town this far north. Most of Sidonia lived in the warmer areas down south, and the cold and wet climate was something of a surprise for visitors. The outdoorsman store even had medical supplies he could purchase without a second thought.
He was down to a few marks from what he’d taken from the fisherman, but it had been enough.
Remi ran through the park and onto the trail leading to Cosima. Everything looked normal, no signs of an attack or any indication that she’d somehow set the forest ablaze in his absence.
He vaulted over a downed branch and found the hollow trunk where he’d left her, but there was no sign of her. The area was pristine and quiet.
“Cosima?” Remi glanced behind the trunk, she wasn’t there. “Cosima,” he said, just loud enough for his voice to carry further into the woods.
He looked around, panic rising in his chest. A path of beaten grass led into the underbrush. Remi took his hilt from under his shirt and snapped the blade out. The power core in the handle hummed as the disruption field activated.
He followed the trail, his feet squishing against wet leaves. Sunlight wavered through shifting branches, and irregular spots of light danced across the forest floor.
“Cosima!”
He moved deeper into the woods, no sign of her.
He turned around to recheck the path, and found her against a tree trunk, cradled against the trees roots. She was wrapped in the blanket, sleeping.
Remi retracted the blade and ran to her. He gave her shoulder a gentle shake and said her name.
She stirred, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“Oh, you’re back,” she said.
Remi gave her a quick hug and shook a finger at her. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
“How about you not leave me in the forest surrounded by killer deer?”
“Fine, deal.” Remi slung his new pack from his shoulders and opened it. “I’ve got you some new clothes, shoes, and a melanin kit.” He took out a set of shrink-wrapped pants and blouse and a ball of rolled-up cloth. “New socks, they’ll help your feet heal up.”
Cosima looked over the clothes and shrugged. “You don’t have bad taste for a man. You got me a what kit?”
“Melanin, it will naturally darken your hair and skin. Keeps pale people like you from ge
tting sunburned. Should stop people from recognizing you at first glance.” He took a small aerosol can from the pack. “Just your face and hands should be enough.”
“Good. I tried sunbathing with my sister once. Me in a bathing suit in direct sunlight was like putting a fork in a microwave. This might have been helpful back then.” She looked around and narrowed her eyes at Remi. “Where am I supposed to change?”
“We’re alone, wherever you like.” He glanced at his watch. “Our tube leaves in an hour. Let’s get going.”
“Hold on, because there’s a we, that means I am not alone.” She pointed to an oak tree with a wide trunk. “Go, put your nose in the corner until I’m done.”
Remi opened his mouth to argue, then shut it and went to the tree. He covered his eyes with the crook of his arm and leaned against it.
Cosima scurried behind the tree she’d slept in and changed clothes, glancing from time to time to make sure Remi wasn’t peeking at her.
“I’m decent,” she said in a singsong voice. She removed her old socks, which smelled even worse than she could imagine, and put on the new pair he’d brought her. The fresh, dry socks felt so good she could march another ten miles. Not that she wanted to, but it was at least possible.
Remi stripped off his shirt and tore open a shrink-wrapped package. He shook out a light jacket and an undershirt. The 3-D printer in town could have produced any outfit he wanted, so he had opted for something that could hide his pulser and hilt. He put a hand on his belt, then looked up at Cosima. “The same courtesy, if you please.”
Cosima hid behind her tree and listened as Remi’s belt buckle jingled. She crept toward the other edge of the trunk and peeked around. She caught a glimpse of Remi’s bare backside as he pulled up a new pair of pants, and saw a jagged scar running down one of his cheeks.
“All set,” Remi said a moment later. He took their old clothes and stuffed them into a pack.
“Take a seat, I need to change your face,” he said. He passed the melanin applicator over her face a few times, as attentively as a sculptor finishing the details on a statue. He twisted the applicator to a wider setting and ran it through her hair and over her hands.