How much risk was I willing to take for Lady Redwing? Or Lord Oswald, for that matter?
The message had been directed to me, personally. How did New Rome know I was already on Oasis? If I’d taken any ship other than the Raven, I would’ve been in transit still. Had they contacted Willow and found out about my passage?
Maybe New Rome didn’t know I was there already, just left a message for when I arrived.
They must have done so; if they’d queried my Lord to find out how I’d gotten back to Oasis and he’d given up the plan, I’d be accused of stealing the ship, wouldn’t I? Since New Rome made no mention of it, they didn’t know.
But, what did immediately mean? And how would New Rome know how fast I could return, anyway? Would they even notice if I took an extra day to get back? Was the message one they wouldn’t expect me to get until I got to Oasis, or one that they thought would be relayed to me in flight, so that I’d turn back and return to New Rome? I couldn’t even ask for clarification without betraying that I was already in Oasis, which wouldn’t be possible without the Raven.
Just how important was Lady Redwing to the succession announcement?
I had a lot of questions, but few answers. This time, I’d have to go on instinct.
Shaking a little, I closed my eyes and blew out a long breath before making a decision. “Have the Phoenix ready for me, and tell Orrin to get the prince’s retinue on board. I’ll be there shortly.”
I climbed back into the jumper and prepared for the short trip back to Oasisis.
I used the jumper’s comlink during the entire trip back.
First, I called Lady Redwing and explained the new order, then pleaded with her to return with me.
“Not a chance, Euclid,” she said firmly. “If he doesn’t want me, so be it. I’m not running around the galaxy after him any more. He knows where to find me.”
“Would you come for me?” I asked, desperate for a working appeal, no matter how flimsy. “Please, Phoenix? I could use the company.”
Lady Redwing laughed, high and shrill. “You’re sweet, Euclid, but I’m not that stupid. You’ll have the rest of Adrian’s retinue ready by now, I’m sure.”
I had to admit she knew me better than I expected she did. Still, it was worth the attempt.
“Have a good trip,” she said, and switched off.
“You have a message,” the ship bleated at me. “You have a message. You have a message.”
“What’s my message?” I said wearily. I did not need any more problems.
“Nine?” There was a pause, and it took me a moment to recognize my sister’s voice. “The rumors flying around here sound pretty bad, so Mama sent me up to your fancy palace to get to the bottom of it, but you weren’t there. I know you’re on your way to Oasisis jumpport now, so we’ll talk when you land. Don’t you dare try to avoid me, little boy!”
Chuckling at the idea that anyone could think of me as a little boy, my blood iced over at the next idea of trying to avoid Hannah. Shuddering for a moment, I steeled my resolve and spent the rest of the time, what little there was, on the comlink discussing strategy for the Angels with General Zanuck.
Zanuck agreed to do everything he could to keep the governors under control for the next week, and we worked out some special message codes in case the situation worsened.
I dropped into Oasisis jumpport just as I finished sending the new codes to the general.
The prince’s retinue was ready and waiting, along with Hannah, outside the Phoenix as I leapt out of the jumper. The retinue filed in while I ran to the starship, stopping only for Hannah, who stood menacingly with her hands on her hips, tapping one foot.
“It’s bad, Han,” I blurted out, as soon as I saw her open her mouth to lecture me. “Civil war brewing, and I’ve been called back to new Rome personally by the emperor himself! Unless you’re coming with me, it’ll have to wait. Sorry.” I started for the hatch.
“Oh, no you don’t, Nine! Stop!”
I did, mid-turn, without even thinking, as Hannah’s tone was as commanding as my Lord’s. A crazy idea flashed. “General Zanuck, Han,” I called over my shoulder as I slipped through the hatch. “In Telsor now.” If I knew my sister, she’d be on the comlink to the general in short order, demanding facts and figures, but the general was tough, so she’d get nowhere. I’d take some heat when I got back, but at least I got out of Oasisis without any additional drama.
Unlike the last time we’d departed for New Rome, the starship was pointed heavenward less than an hour after our summons. And, once again, Lady Redwing wasn’t expected, but this time I was certain she really wasn’t aboard.
The first thing I did once we were underway was send a private message to Lord Oswald about the events on Oasis while he’d been gone. He sent me a reply almost immediately telling me not to worry about Lady Redwing’s absence or the revolting roosters and that he’d expect a full report when I arrived in New Rome. His response worried me. He seemed completely unconcerned, as if these sorts of things happened every day and were easily thwarted. My long experience with the prince taught me that he probably had information I lacked, and if my Lord told me not to worry about it, I shouldn’t worry about it.
Feeling somewhat useless after the interchange, I slipped into the lady’s cabin, intending to stay there for the duration of the trip. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to stay in the captain’s cabin even while Lord Oswald was absent.
I stared at Lady Redwing’s bed for a while, then sat down on the edge of it and closed my eyes. In my memory, I could see her sitting there beside me in her négligée, but then she morphed into Willow. She was as beautiful as always, but in my daydream, she wasn’t wearing a négligée when she leaned over to kiss me.
Sighing, I got up and shuffled to the bathroom to draw a relaxing bath for myself. For a second, I thought I saw the princess’s blonde locks duck beneath bubbles covering the surface of the bath water. Blinking, I looked again.
The bathtub was empty, of course, as were my hopes.
***
The two days to New Rome were uneventful, to be charitable. In truth, I was bored stiff. Except for the absence of Lord Oswald, this was the crew that should have taken the first voyage, yet it felt wrong, empty and hollow, somehow. Not because of my missing Lord, but his missing lady. This was Lady Redwing’s starship, named after her, and I felt like an intruder.
I’m sure the rest of the crew shared my sentiment. We passed each other in the hallways in silence, looking away uncomfortably whenever our eyes met, which was rarely. We all pretty much stayed in our rooms, except to eat in the galley. Meals felt more like funerals, with only the occasional throat clearing or cough to break up the silence. If I closed my eyes, I swear I could just make out the scent of flowers, with a hint of antiseptic.
On the good side, nobody looked askance at my blue hair, because the crew hardly ever looked at me. I felt virtually invisible, despite being surrounded by people, which was unusual since my days of sneaking around in the dark on my daddy’s farm.
I remembered a particularly bad winter when I was growing up. It wasn’t so much the bitter cold, though it was more biting than I’d ever experienced in my long eleven-year-old life, but the fact that Hannah had de-existed me for ruining her date.
One Saturday evening, long after everyone had gone to bed, Hannah and her beau-of-the-month were nestled together on the couch in front of a fire, whispering things to each other that I’d only heard from Mama and Daddy. I hid at the bottom of the stairs, fascinated, listening intently.
Their voices grew ever softer, and my curiosity grew ever stronger. I crept closer and closer, until I was actually right behind the couch, listening.
But they weren’t talking any more, not even whispering.
Hannah giggled, and I heard rustling.
I poked my head over the couch, just for a second, just to see what was going on. The boy had his hand under Hannah’s shirt and my sister was smiling, her eye
s closed. I couldn’t understand what they were doing, but I was riveted and stared at them for a few seconds.
Hannah opened her eyes then and saw me. She stifled a scream, then wriggled out from under the boy and launched herself after me. I ran, vaulting up the stairs. At the top, I turned around and saw her.
“Nine,” Hannah yelled at me from the bottom of the stairs, her face scrunched up like a fist and her eyes cursing me, “you little runt. I hate you!”
Her face puffed up and she turned on her heel.
I spent the night awake, my heart racing, afraid Hannah was going to strangle me any minute.
The next morning started normally, with Five asleep on the table, as usual, until Hannah and Mama brought breakfast to everyone. Except me. Mama asked Hannah what was going on.
“What do you mean, Mama?” Hannah asked. “All eight Euclids have their breakfast. That’s everybody.”
“What about Nine?” Mama said, pointing at me.
Hannah turned around and looked at me. Actually, she looked through me, as though I wasn’t there at all. I thought I caught a hint of malice in her eyes at first, but it faded quickly to disinterest. “Nope, that’s everybody,” Hannah said and turned away.
The other Euclids stared at me, but said nothing.
Mama took Hannah out of the room for a few minutes to talk privately. When they returned, Hannah took her place at the table and Mama brought me breakfast.
“It’s best we not upset your sister right now,” Mama whispered to me, and then she kissed me on the forehead.
It turned out that Hannah was expecting her boyfriend to propose marriage that evening, and that she’d arranged a nice, quiet, romantic setting with Mama’s help.
After my interruption, the boy apparently thought better of his idea and never asked Hannah for her hand.
The entire winter went on like that breakfast, with Hannah refusing to acknowledge my existence, and the rest of the Euclids stepping on each other’s toes to get out of my way, as if they’d be found guilty of the crime I committed simply by being associated with me.
Lord Oswald’s retinue behaved much like the other Euclids did, avoiding me whenever possible, trying not to appear allied with me in any way.
The first night, I wondered what I’d done, whether I’d upset Lady Redwing somehow without realizing it.
Eventually, I understood that it wasn’t me that had committed the transgression, but Lord Oswald. Most of the retinue had spent some time serving Lady Phoenix, and it stood to reason that they had an inkling of the relationship she had with the prince. If even one of them knew about the lady’s thwarted wedding the week before aboard the Phoenix, it was likely that they all knew by now. Since I was the prince’s personal secretary, I was implicated by association, just as the other Euclids had feared they would be.
I put up with the crew’s standoffishness for two days, wondering the whole time if it would affect their loyalty to Prince Oswald. One thing my Lord couldn’t afford in New Rome’s court was a repeat performance of Lady Redwing’s retinue, disappearing when we needed them the most.
It occurred to me then that the Angels were the only ones my Lord could count on. Even his palace staff seemed more interested in pleasing Lady Redwing than pleasing my Lord.
It was as if she charmed all the men who met her to do her bidding, to the exclusion of their other commitments. Even when she wasn’t there, her influence seemed to continue. The poor, charmed souls couldn’t seem to rid themselves of her memory.
Chuckling, I realized that I wasn’t much different. I’d fallen under the spell of Lady Phoenix early on, and I would have done pretty much anything for her, except disobeying my Lord. I still hadn’t forgiven myself for destroying her clothes, an act that I wouldn’t have been able to carry out at all if I hadn’t been able to convince myself at the time that it wouldn’t hurt her in the long run.
I wondered idly if even a married man would fawn over the lady, even in his wife’s presence.
Like the emperor did.
Cold sweats started as it occurred to me that Lady Redwing’s presence at court might be more important than I’d suspected. Would her absence cost my Lord his favor simply because of her absence?
And here I was, returning to New Rome without her.
***
I was still having cold sweats when we arrived in New Rome. Still, I was surprised when I was met at the hatchway by a large number of imperial guards.
“Come this way,” one of them said to me, and four guards escorted me away, as the palace administrator checked me in.
I looked behind as we marched away to see each of Lord Oswald’s retinue escorted by two guards. One by one, we left the Phoenix behind, checked in by the administrator and led off quietly.
“What’s going on?” I asked, but they remained stone-faced, marching, marching down the hallways of the imperial palace. I recognized the route midway, and my fears were calmed somewhat as I realized they were conducting me to Prince Oswald’s assigned rooms.
Once secured in my Lord’s receiving room, I waited.
Our clothes arrived just as Prince Oswald emerged from his room. “Ah, Euclid, my boy,” he said jovially when he saw me. “Good thing you’ve returned. We’re all under house arrest now, not just me.” His eyes twinkled, as if he were sharing a grand joke with me.
“What happened?” I asked, perplexed.
“Oh, nothing much,” Prince Oswald said casually, “just the usual palace shenanigans.”
I waited, but he offered no further explanation before heading back to his room.
“Also,” said Prince Oswald, pausing in the doorway, “shortly after you left, the emperor was found poisoned.”
Chapter 17
Poisoned
POISONED? THE EMPEROR HAD BEEN POISONED?
Lord Oswald closed his door behind him, a privacy signal I normally respected, but I barged in after him anyway this time.
Blocking the open doorway, I stood, crossing my arms over my chest and waiting for an explanation. “Poisoned?” I prompted after several seconds of being ignored.
“Um hmm,” said my Lord casually. “It’s probably nothing, just some minor case of food poisoning or something. He’ll be fine by tomorrow, of course. Naturally, Noir is taking up the investigation as if he’s dead.” Lord Oswald rolled his eyes and muttered, “He’ll probably find the emperor’s personal gardener made a dastardly premeditated attempt on his Majesty’s life with deliberately sour prune juice, and the poor gardener will be scheduled for execution until our glittering Jewel decides she can’t live without his luscious tomatoes.”
In the meantime, everyone was suspect. Because the last meal the emperor ate was just before I left to pursue Lady Redwing, I was included among the suspects, as was Lady Willow Vere. Noir, under the emperor’s authority and name, had ordered us both back to New Rome without explanation. I didn’t think Willow was likely to be a no show, but I nearly delayed my departure. If I’d postponed the summons for a day in my attempt to convince Lady Redwing to return to New Rome....
If I’d failed to appear today, Noir might have assumed my guilt and sent out imperial guards after me. I shuddered, thinking of how close I’d come to delaying my return, convinced of my unimportance as a mere secretary.
Once again, Lady Phoenix was at the crux of what could be life-changing or life-ending decisions. So far, Lord Oswald and I seemed to be making the right choices — at least the ones that resulted in our continued breathing — but I had to wonder how long our luck would hold out without the lady’s favor.
The longer Lady Redwing had to stew on my Lord’s slight, the harder it would be to convince her otherwise. And the more I analyzed it, the more importantly Lady Phoenix figured into the equation.
“So you couldn’t get Phoenix to come back?” Lord Oswald asked conversationally, almost as if he could read my thoughts, but he looked more pensive than I’d seen him in a while. “It’s Thursday,” he muttered under his breath an
d looked a little pained. “She’s never missed a Thursday.”
I ignored him and shook my head. “Another day and I might have convinced her. But with the summons to return....”
I explained the lady’s reasons, as she told them to me, and what I thought, too. I hedged around the whole business of my being in her closet while she was trying to entice my Lord, figuring it wasn’t something for gentlemen to discuss. Deep down, though, I was convinced that she would have forgiven the prince if I’d told her about it.
Lady Redwing’s obstinacy was well known by the prince, and he just nodded along with my explanations instead of getting mad at my failure.
“Sounds like there’s nothing to be done about her right now,” Lord Oswald said finally, sighing and looking off into the distance. “Not while we’re suspected of poisoning the emperor.”
I was about to bring up the subject of the Oasis governors when my Lord glanced at a timedot and announced, “Time for dinner, my boy. The palace waits for no man, not even condemned men. We’ll talk more later.”
I left my Lord’s bedroom for my own and dressed quickly, then sent one of the Angels for the prince’s retinue. The prince stepped out momentarily, decked out in his finest, complete with ribbons of office and legion medals. He looked like a dignitary, which, of course, he was.
Strolling into the hallway, we picked up the prince’s retinue and headed for the dining room, under guard, naturally.
By now, I was used to the retainers thronging the great room. They dispersed as we passed through, leaving only the Angels with us as we entered the dining room and took our accustomed places by the end of the table. I noticed a couple imperial guards moving in to flank the Angels discreetly.
With the poisoning still sharp in everyone’s mind, the room was strangely quiet. It seemed that everyone suspected each other, and so the heirs all kept to themselves, whispering whenever they had to speak. The effect was to amplify the importance of every utterance, no matter how trivial, as it floated and echoed through the room — courtesy the excellent acoustics, designed to remove the necessity for shouting to be heard at the other end of the table.
Ninth Euclid's Prince Page 20