Diplomatic Crisis (The Empress' Spy Book 2)

by S. E. Weir

  A tug pulled her mouth into a smirk. “Shrug and say very little, but be happy that you’ve been honest with me, most likely.”

  “We aren’t saying you are right, exactly…” Richard began with a raised eyebrow.

  “But you aren’t wrong either.” Samuel finished, eying her carefully.

  After a few seconds of silence where they all looked at each other, Richard turned to Phina curiously.

  “That doesn’t bother you?”

  She thought seriously about it for the space of a few seconds. “Are you going to suck my blood?”

  A flash of surprise crossed his face and turned into an expression that was hard to read. “No.”

  “Then it doesn’t bother me.” She started to put her hands in her pockets but remembered Link’s admonishment about always being ready to defend herself. She sighed and stood with her hands loosely on her hips.

  “So, Phina.” Samuel’s eyes gleamed in anticipation. “Would you tell us, please, what you are upset about, and what we can do to aid you?”

  Her hands slipped from her hips as she thought of everything she had just learned from the music, as well as surprise that Samuel had been the one to ask since she hadn’t sensed that sort of intent earlier.

  “You want to help me?”

  Mentally reaching out took more out of her this time, but she sensed from Samuel a genuine interest in her and what was troubling her. Not a romantic interest, but a “this is the most interesting and unexpected thing to happen in months and I want to know more” way. Well, Phina could understand that. As she withdrew her mind, she caught a flash of pain about something in Richard’s mind and then a growing sense of determination to help and not fail in whatever might be wrong. He nodded his agreement.

  “We have our sworn protective duty in an hour or so, but we would hear your story and help as much as we can.”

  For the second time that night, a sense of relief filled her.

  ADAM began watching the footage even as he realized Phina would be all right with the two vampires, though he kept an “ear” out in case she pinged him. The two Nacht? They hadn’t owned the traditional last name for vampires who wouldn’t kill humans indiscriminately from what ADAM had heard, but there wasn’t another term for vampires anymore ever since Bethany Anne and TOM had fixed the nanocytes that had caused the condition back on Earth.

  From multiple angles, he watched Phina running through the station again and again. This shouldn’t be possible. He had missed something somewhere and having it affect a friend shook him and filled him with anger.

  >>TOM.<<

  His Kurtherian friend joined him moments later.

  ADAM?

  >>See what I’m seeing?<<

  Seconds went by as TOM watched the footage ADAM indicated. The Kurtherian couldn’t watch it as fast as ADAM was able to but was quicker than most. ADAM had included the time in Phina’s room as she flew around it in confounding ways at improbable speeds before running out the door, dodging everyone she passed and ending up in the park.

  All with her eyes shut.

  >>Do you see?<<

  How is she doing this? She is seeing, or at least sensing, with her mind and running almost as fast as the Nacht.

  >>My assessment as well. Are you sure it is not a direct result of…<<

  No. There is no way. I tested her thoroughly when she came in for checkups. Something must have changed.

  ADAM’s being filled with resolve.

  >>Then we find what changed. You will help?<<

  Yes. We all have a vested interest in her. We need to know what happened. Any ideas?

  ADAM sped through the visual data Meredith had collected from around the station over the last several days where Phina entered the picture. He brought up one scene in particular and froze it; the person entering the scene caused his emotions to swell, and he stopped them in their tracks. While human emotions were instructive, they would not help right now, especially the anger. He needed to be fast and effective to handle this for his friend.

  Even if he thought the person responsible deserved to be punished.

  >>Just one.<<

  Phina finished telling Richard and Samuel everything strange that had happened in the last few days, but particularly what she had learned about the music. The three had moved to a bench so they could sit down.

  “Let me get this straight.” Samuel leaned against the back of the bench, his arm resting on the top, partially turned to her. “There’s this weird-ass music that makes everyone who hears it cry. You kept thinking there was something more to it, but nothing came of it ‘til today, when you did a Peter Pan around your room, then made like Neo through the station.”

  She turned her head toward him, meeting his amused but serious eyes. “Made like who?”

  Richard groaned. “You’ve never seen The Matrix? You don’t know about the One? The Oracle? Trinity?” He had dropped his casual man-of-the-manor pose in favor of wild gestures and holding his heart as if he had been dealt a blow. Apparently, he had a thing for The Matrix. “You don’t know about the spoon?”

  Richard reached around her to grab Samuel’s arm. “Hey, man, relax.”

  “Yeah, Morpheus, relax. There is no spoon.” Her suppressed mirth overflowed with the words.

  “But she…she…” He gestured at Phina, then narrowed his eyes. She smiled innocently, then patted the hand over his heart. She could feel the vibrations of Richard laughing where his chest pressed against her, though he made no noise. Samuel’s face twitched as if he wanted to smile but didn’t want to give them the satisfaction. He turned away from them and sighed.

  “I get no respect around here.”

  “So,” Phina turned to Richard as he asked, “what will you do?”

  She frowned, though it was directed more toward her and the situation than Richard. “What can I do?”

  “Wrong question, cherie.” Samuel had turned back to them and now leaned forward, his eyes intent.

  “How is it wrong? What is the right question?”

  “Asking ‘what can I do’ implies you don’t think anything can be done.” Richard crossed his ankle over his knee and draped an elbow over the back of the bench. He glanced down and clutched his shoe, which showed grass stains on the edges from when he had crouched in the grass earlier. “Damn it all to hell, that’s my favorite pair!”

  Samuel smirked, then ignored Richard and his further mumbles about daily shoe shines as he leaned forward. “Exactly. Is that what you want to do? Just leave it because nothing can be done?”

  His question caused Phina to flinch. “No! I want to fix it. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

  “That’s why it’s helpful to focus on what needs to be done instead.” Richard offered, pulling out a small square of cloth and looking around for something.

  “It changes the focus from you and how you feel to the problem at hand.” Shrugging, Samuel gave her a small smile, rolled his eyes, and pulled out a bottle of water, which he passed to his friend.

  “Yes,” Richard agreed as he took the water, wet the handkerchief, and gently washed away the grass stains. Phina must have reached out mentally at some point because she felt a dull spasm of pain hit him that he held onto for a moment, then released with regret. “Shit happens. You didn’t know people were dying before.”

  “But now you do.” Samuel glanced at Richard, his eyes concerned, though he tried to continue acting nonchalant.

  “It’s what you do now that matters.” Richard continued with barely a glance at his friend, finishing his shoes with a satisfied sigh. He folded his small cloth to put away.

  “So, how are you going to fix it?” Samuel had a bright gleam in his eyes.

  Phina took a deep breath and tried to relax. They were right. She needed to get over how she felt about it, even when it felt overwhelming, and focus on her next steps. She let out the air and raised her chin.

  “First, I’m going to tell Anna Elizabeth and…ah, my mentor what I
discovered.”

  They exchanged glances, and Richard nodded. “That’s a good start.”

  “Who’s your mentor?” Samuel’s voice sounded like he was trying to be casual, but she could hear a tone in his voice.

  “Oh, I don’t know if you know him.” Phina hedged. She didn’t know if they knew about his personae and wasn’t sure which name to give them.

  Samuel laughed. “Cherie, our job right now is to protect Sia and Giannini, the dynamic news duo.”

  Richard grinned. “Basically, we know everyone in any position of authority and quite a few who are not.”

  Phina blinked her surprise. “Ah, ok. Greyson Wells?” She figured if they followed public figures, they would have heard that name.

  Samuel straightened, scowling. “That young scalawag! He’s your mentor?”

  She was confused. “What’s wrong with him being my mentor?”

  Richard had stopped smiling but shrugged. “He does well enough as a diplomat and is probably fine as a mentor. He’s accomplished quite a lot in a short period of time. He just chaffs Samuel because the man calls us Frick and Frack.”

  Samuel curled his lip and sniffed autocratically. “I don’t see it. We have nothing in common with those ice skaters.”

  “You’ve called him worse,” Richard pointed out.

  “He deserved worse! The man’s a…”

  Richard gave him a look, then turned pointedly to Phina. She tried not to show her attention, though Samuel subsided with an annoyed pout.

  “Hang on. Did you really just use the word scalawag? Were you both pirates or something?”

  Richard smiled secretively. “Or something.”

  Samuel had recovered some of his good humor. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I would, actually. I would love to hear your stories, anything you would care to share,” Phina replied earnestly.

  “Perhaps we will at some point.”

  After agreeing, Samuel arched an eyebrow. “So, after you share what you found out, what’s the next step?”

  Phina thought for a moment. At some point, a group would be leaving to find out if the alien people were still alive and needed help. They had to be. She couldn’t see Anna Elizabeth sitting on this, and definitely not Bethany Anne. Those red eyes flashed again in her memory as the Empress talked about taking care of her people. No, they were definitely going.

  The question was timing. When they did go, she would be the only person able to even partially communicate. Her music teacher had said no one could understand them. With all the people on the planet needing help, she wouldn’t be able to translate for everyone by herself.

  “I need to work with ADAM and figure out a way to document the language so the implants can be updated.”

  The two old vampires nodded. “That’s going to take time,” Richard pointed out. “I don’t see that happening quickly.”

  She smirked. “Well, you’ve never seen me with languages. I’m pretty quick.” Her brows drew together in concern. “But you are right, that’s just been me learning an existing language that people already knew and could teach to someone else. This would be figuring out how a language works without any sort of translation help or a dictionary to fall back on. Once I understand the language and how it works, the hard part comes.”

  “Which is?” The two exchanged glances before focusing on her again.

  Phina sighed. “Figuring out how to communicate back.”

  Chapter Seven

  QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Diplomatic Institute, Anna Elizabeth’s Office

  “You what?”

  Three astonished pairs of eyes observed Phina as she explained the events of the past few days. Anna Elizabeth’s usually serene office was filled with tension. They hadn’t reacted the way Phina thought they would to her news, but then, she had reacted out of the norm as well, so she supposed she couldn’t blame them.

  Anna stared at her in horror and concern. Jace appeared overwhelmed but amazed. Aside from his initial surprise, she found Link’s face very difficult to read. In fact, his face was so expressionless she began to worry. The times he didn’t emote something were very few, and when he came out of it, someone inevitably came to regret falling into the cross-hairs.

  “It’s true. All of it. ADAM or Meredith can show you the footage if you need to see it.”

  ADAM broke in over the speaker. “The footage is available, but I don’t think anyone else should see it, aside from the General or Bethany Anne.”

  Anna Elizabeth took a deep breath and swallowed, her lashes fluttering. Phina hadn’t seen her look this concerned since they had met months ago. She always seemed unflappable, but this situation had apparently…flapped her. “While what happened to you is worrisome, Phina. Are you certain you understood the music correctly?”

  “Yes. Hold on. Meredith?”

  “Yes, Seraphina?”

  “How much do you have recorded of the music I’ve been listening to? Are there any sections I haven’t heard?”

  “We only have two segments of music recorded. You have heard both.”

  “Thank you, Meredith. Would you please play the segment I did not listen to last night?” She turned to the other three. “As you listen, focus on what you feel and see if it matches what I’m telling you.”

  Music swept through the room, even more majestic and throbbing within the acoustics. A variety of tones sounded, throwing Phina into a mass of pictures and emotions. She closed her eyes as her mind opened, and the images focused. She spoke about what she saw and felt.

  “Please, we need help. The land is dying. We have very little food and water. Our people are starving. Our children are crying in pain. Can you hear? We need help. Won’t you please help us? Even just our children—please! Why can’t anyone ever hear us? We need help!”

  Phina had opened her mouth to translate the next part when it came to an abrupt halt. Her mouth clicked shut, and tears again streamed down her face. After wiping away the tears, she turned to the others and saw that they were in similar states.

  Link recovered the quickest but still struggled with himself. The others were speaking but not saying anything of importance.

  Anna Elizabeth finally wiped away her tears. “That’s awful. I could hear what you were saying even as I felt it. They do match. I can’t believe we couldn’t understand what they were trying to tell us. We gave them gifts the few times we visited, some of which was food, but it wouldn’t have lasted long enough to make much difference. Not if the trouble was long-term.”

  Jace had fallen silent, though his silence felt different than Link’s absence of words. Link’s was darker and angrier. Jace’s was contemplative, as if he were trying to process what he had learned.

  Anna Elizabeth took a deep breath and recovered her equanimity. “Well, now we need to decide what to do.”

  Phina straightened in surprise. “What do you mean? Isn’t it obvious what we need to do? We need to help them!”

  The dean waved her concerns away. “Yes, of course, but there are far more logistics involved than you might realize. We can’t just send people off and be done with it. We know very little about these people other than what we just heard, which could have been recorded years ago.”

  Though she shuddered at the thought of being too late to save them, Phina drew a breath and tried to stay calm. “When was this music recorded, Meredith?”

  The EI answered, “One recording was taken by the exploratory team approximately eight years ago, the second recording by a diplomatic team three years ago.”

  Three years ago! Children had been dying for years, and there had been nothing they could do about it because they didn’t know. They didn’t understand. In her sorrow, Phina had opened her mind again, reaching out.

  Anna Elizabeth matched her sadness for the people of the musical language, but not to the depth Phina felt. Her sorrow was tempered with resignation, likely that there wasn’t any way they could have known or done anything before. However, th
e woman’s attitude changed to resolve, which caused Phina to relax. The Diplomatic Corps would do something about this tragedy.

  Jace’s mind swirled in confusion, with spikes of anger and uncertainty, but also a desire to help. The direction of the intention to help filled Phina with surprise and warmth—he wanted to help her specifically.

  The dean delicately frowned. “That’s far too long ago. We need to decide the best course of action to handle this quickly.”

  Link spoke, his seething ball of anger, frustration, disappointment, and fear causing Phina to flinch and close her mind. “What we need to do is figure out what the hell is going on with Phina!” He pushed off the wall behind Anna’s desk and furiously paced around the room.

  His old friend looked at him with concerned but stern eyes. “Greyson, of course we do, but lives are at stake as well, and we need to decide how to handle this.”

  Link muttered curses under his breath that Phina could barely hear as the dean moved on. “I believe we should send a team in to assess the situation and provide food and medical care. Since Phina is the only one who can understand them at the moment, she should go with them.”

  Phina nodded, though she felt the heat of Link’s anger behind her and wondered at its intensity. She thought about probing but couldn’t bring herself to open her mind again. Part of her reticence had to do with the intensity of his feelings. She couldn’t handle much of it at the moment, not reaching out as she had been earlier. Mostly, she didn’t want to find out that the person he was angry with was her.

  “ADAM!”

  “You rang, DS?”

  “Don’t tell me you don’t know what’s happening here. Your metaphorical eyes and ears are all over this station! You have to know something!”

  Link stalked back and forth through Anna’s office, avoiding the annoyed glares of the dean, the inquisitive curiosity of the kid, and the fearful eyes of Phina. He had only glanced at her once since he had started pacing, but the fear had been unmistakable within those usually focused and determined eyes.