Blade's Edge

by Val Roberts

  Taryn moaned and the doors of the audience chamber opened to reveal the King of Barian and the Matriarch of Zona standing beside each other. Blade swallowed hard and tried to think of something to say as the injector hissed.

  "My lord Tanaka,” Silean broke the tense silence, “I do believe you know more about this matter than you've been telling."

  "You're absolutely right,” Sharif said without adding a polite honorific. He popped out the injector's reservoir and fitted a different vial into it. “Now if you'll all excuse me, I'd like to finish my Zonan collection before someone does something I'll regret."

  Blade stared after him as he pushed through the two heads of state into the crowded throne room, then blinked as the realization hit him. But he didn't have long to ponder that Sharif was going after Talyn and intended to take her off planet with him, because a gurgle came from his wife's form. When he turned to check on her, her face was dead white, there was no reassuring rise and fall to her chest.

  Taryn had stopped breathing.

  "No!” What had happened to his three-hour window?

  He saw the Zonan Matriarch jump from the corner of his eyes, but there was no time. He dove to Taryn's side and tried to remember how to start CPR while he fought animal panic and impotent rage. Finally something, somewhere, clicked into place. His body began moving though he hadn't consciously directed it, and then he was breathing for his mate. He created a rhythm of life that he was going to keep going until she began doing it for herself or he died with her, the entirety of creation narrowing down to that connection while his mind chanted prayers to every god he could ever remember having heard of.

  A second skimmer landing broke the spell and forced him to acknowledge something beyond two breaths and ten heartbeats. Blade scooped up his woman and ran for the hatch, climbing in behind the medic who took her from him and watching as they hooked her into the mobile scanning apparatus. They barely missed a beat when the skimmer took off again, heading for the medical institute, talking arcane shorthand over her supine body.

  "Mid-level concussion, at least two blows occipital."

  "Recent injuries to hands and torso, abrasion, incision, contusion, non-threatening. Krystos! She's already full of nanites."

  "Respiration non-responsive. Initiating external heart-lung stimulus—now."

  Suddenly one of them turned and eyed Blade. “HCG is elevated and still spiking. This woman is pregnant, but at a very early stage, pre-implantation."

  "Yes,” he allowed, still watching them work over her.

  "The oxatansyltalis antiserum can cause spontaneous abortion."

  His eyes went to the woman talking to him and he swallowed hard. “Well, it's already been administered, and a baby couldn't survive without its mother, could it?"

  The woman shook her head. “I didn't explain that very well. The antitansyltalis causes the uterine lining to slough. If implantation occurs after a loss of lining, there's usually an incomplete placental bond.” He took a deep breath. She was talking about it as if Taryn were going to survive the next hour, so he would, too, and push the dark despair someplace where he didn't have to deal with it.

  "So?” He looked directly at the medic and she stiffened.

  "It's a very high-risk type of pregnancy. I recommend removal of the zygote to a uterine replicator.” A replicator. Taryn would have his head. If she died, though, he would still have some part of her. Something would be left.

  No. He wasn't going to plan for the worst.

  He rubbed his hands down his thighs. “How long do we have to decide?"

  The medic frowned. “It's not that difficult of a decision, Your Highness."

  "She's Zonan,” he spat back. “You think she wants her firstborn to come out of a machine?” Then he realized who he was yelling at. “Sorry. I just can't make the decision without consulting her.” The woman nodded and went back to work, but they were already landing at the medsurge.

  He followed the grav-sled gurney until someone barred his way, and even then he considered muscling his way through to stay with her, because he couldn't tell her how much he needed her from a waiting room if she regained consciousness. But she might not get the care she needed if her doctors were nervous because the Crown Heir was glowering at them. He swallowed hard, forced his hands to relax from the white-knuckled fists, and let the administrator show him into a room where he could pace and worry all he wanted without getting in the way.

  Fifteen minutes of absolute hell went by, taking several years, and then the door opened to reveal the King, the Queen, the Matriarch and the Matriarch's Consort, all looking like nothing more than worried parents.

  "Will she be all right?” Ramondar asked in a tone of concern.

  Blade dropped to a chair and scrubbed his hands over his face. “I don't know. I haven't heard anything except that oxatansyltalis antiserum causes spontaneous abortion. She wasn't breathing on her own when they shoved me in here."

  He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. Silean Penthes, white-faced, was standing next to him. “She'll be fine,” she murmured. “Taryn's come through worse than this with flying colors."

  "What happened after we left?” he asked, trying to distract himself with the rest of reality.

  "Well, that's rather an interesting story,” the unknown Zonan man said as he came to stand next to Silean. “I'm Herren Cavanaugh, by the way.” He tried to smile, but it came out as barely a twitch of his lips. Blade could relate. It was damned hard to be civilized when he wanted to bellow, and the only reason Herren had any reason for an introduction was the precious woman somewhere on the other side of the walls closing them in. “Leone Varakis was about to deliver a coup de grace when this extremely strange person swooped in, shot everyone armed with some kind of fast-acting tranquilizer, scooped up my daughter, and left.” He shook his head. “I've never seen anything like it."

  "Two meters tall, blue hair?” Blade asked after forcing his attention back to the conversation. Herren looked startled, but he nodded. “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Your daughter was stolen by the heir to the Hauptmann Cartel presidency."

  Silean gasped and looked like she was about to faint. Blade levered himself to his feet and pushed her into the chair. His stepmother came forward and offered her a small cup of water. Silean took it without looking.

  "I knew there was something wrong with him,” she murmured. “He had the strangest eyes."

  "Mimetic contact lenses,” Blade supplied. “I think he dyes his hair, too, so he won't look exactly like any of his ... brothers. He's not really as weird as he looks."

  She looked up. Blade sank to his knees, because he and Herren must be looming. “He said he'd met you at university."

  "He was my roommate for a year,” Blade admitted. “I think he engineered this entire mess, for which I should probably beat the snot out of him."

  "He did all this to kidnap the Zonan Crown Prince?” Ramondar asked, obviously confused. Blade shook his head.

  "He engineered a political union between Zona and Barian to get Timarron into the DW,” he explained. That made everyone look confused, so he focused down, ignoring the panic at the edge of his consciousness, and led them through his theory of what had really happened, how everyone's plans had gone south.

  Including his plans, because his plans hadn't included almost losing his Vixen on the day everything was supposed to be sealed and finalized. He wanted to cry. He wanted to hit something as hard as he could. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare and find his wife asleep next to him, that secret, contented smile on her lips.

  The door opened again, but it was only Benedar, not the doctor. Well, Benedar and what remained of the crown guard detail Blade had taken into Zona.

  "No word yet,” he told them. The small room was starting to get crowded and it occurred to Blade that a fragmentation grenade thrown through the door right now could wipe out the unified government of the entire planet. Apparently Juvenan thought so too, because he grunted, gra
bbed Grigor by the arm, and disappeared through the door, probably to take up a guard station just outside it. Blessings of all the gods on him.

  A few more minutes passed and then the door opened a third time, the doctor stopping halfway through when he saw the crowd inside.

  "How is she?” Blade shot to his feet.

  "Her Royal Highness is alive and beginning to recover,” she blurted, probably terrified of annoying any of the crowned heads. “We had a few tense moments in the operating theater when her heart stopped the second time,” she continued, starting to relax, “but it's been strong since we got it restarted. The nanites in her system are already repairing the head trauma, but I was wondering if anyone could explain what appears to be an animal bite on her wrist?"

  "Tomascon,” Silean said quietly. Everyone looked at her and she cleared her throat self-consciously. “She was accompanied by a large cougar when she made it to the throne room. He is ... the pet of a friend."

  "The wound was probably a byproduct of the cat helping her get her hands untied,” Blade thought aloud, and then it was his turn to have everyone staring at him. He shrugged. “She's a Silvergard. I wouldn't try getting poison into her without tying her up first.” A chorused murmur of assent filled the room. “And he's an extremely intelligent cat.” The doctor's eyes went round.

  "I see,” she said in a kind of strangled voice. “The other wounds appear to be from several days ago and are healing well, except for the facial scar. That has been there for over a decade, although the nanites are making headway with it as well."

  "Do you still want to remove the baby?” Blade asked a little sharper than he should have.

  The doctor started at his tone. “We already have. They're being held in stasis pending your decision on reinsertion or transfer to replicator, Your Royal Highness.” She bowed again. “But I must make a correction. We found three zygotes, two of which are more than marginally viable, and traces of a fertility enhancer."

  Ramondar started. Silean and Sabinet looked at each other. Blade felt the room start to spin, ever so slightly. Apparently Leone's plan had worked a little too well. He must have stumbled back a step, because he heard Dorcan's voice close behind him. “Easy, Blade. She is a twin, after all."

  Yes, she was a twin, but ... “Triplets? She's going to kill me.” Fertility enhancer? Gods, the maidwort. Leone must have substituted something else.

  Silean laughed, the joyous sound incongruous in the hushed room. “Sweet Mother of All, what I wouldn't have given for a replicator when I was trying to produce an heir. I had morning, noon, and night sickness through the entire pregnancy.” Sabinet chuckled at that, nodding with sympathy.

  "Do you have any idea what the fertility enhancer was?” Blade asked. “Could it have a reaction with the antiserum?"

  "It was maidwort,” Silean said, standing. “It was originally used as an aphrodisiac three centuries ago in the Barian harem. In Zona, we discovered that doubling the dose suppresses ovulation.” She laughed again. “Taryn must have been trying to stretch it.” She looked at Blade. “It's quite harmless and it breaks down quickly."

  Except Taryn had only had the one dose, administered by Leone. And Leone wouldn't have had any problem making the tea half as strong as usual. Yet another plot, but at least this one had been in his favor.

  "There was nothing to indicate any pharmacological interference had taken place,” the doctor said. “The antiserum had almost completely neutralized the poison by the time we got the last of the zygotes. If Your Royal Highness would care to come with me, I think she might be near regaining consciousness."

  "You might as well get it over with now,” Dar said. “Since she's sedated and concussed, you might have a fighting chance.” Blade glared at his little brother. Of course, Dar would think it would be easier to face her now—he hadn't spent the last two hours desperately trying not to face being without her.

  "Yes, I would very much like to see my wife,” he said, trying to pull dignity around him because inside he was almost terrified of what Taryn was going to say when she saw him. Triplets, though something was wrong with one of them. Triplets. Gods and demons.

  He followed the doctor out of the room, nodding to Juvenan and Garid as he passed where they were stationed. A small sound told him Juvenan had fallen in behind him and he felt his shoulder blades relax slightly. Having Juve at his back was so normal, so routine, that it somehow pushed the fear and rage back a step.

  The doctor stopped in front of a nondescript door and gestured him to go in. Juvenan planted himself next to the portal and turned to scowl at the hallway in general. Blade took a deep breath and went in.

  Taryn had the head of the narrow gelfoam bed elevated so that she was nearly sitting up. She'd been facing out the window, but her head slowly turned at the door's noise and he felt breath leave him as if he'd been punched in the solar plexus. Someone had washed the blood off her face, along with what traces of makeup there might have been. Her hair was a complete mess. Her face folded into a frown.

  She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. And then she was frowning from within his arms, her bonding bracelet scraping across the goldwork on his jacket because he was trying to wrap himself around her and hold on forever.

  "Thank all the gods, you really are alive.” He buried his face in her hair and breathed her scent in deep.

  "Blade.” She sounded vague and lethargic, but she was speaking to him. He let go enough to look at her. “How did I end up carrying triplets?"

  "It wasn't my fault.” Her lips twitched, but her eyes were drooping. He pulled her close again, cradling her head against his shoulder. “Multiple births don't run in my family."

  "You animal,” she sighed into his ear, raising the fine hairs on his arms. “You're gloating anyway, I can hear it in your voice. Stop it."

  "I can't. You're alive. You're going to be all right.” He nuzzled the side of her head and then kissed her before she could tell him he was impossible. “What do you want to do about the triplets?” he asked when he could finally force himself to pull away.

  She stared up at him with huge, dark eyes and a slight smile. “Well,” she said after a moment, “they're not all going back in me, at least not all at once. I refuse to create the same problem my mother had with more than one firstborn.” The smile slipped. “And I'm not deciding anything else until this headache goes away."

  He cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. Both pupils were the same size, although they were as huge as a cat's at midnight. “The doctor said the nanite injections from the cave and the Enclave were already repairing any damage. You should be ready to go home soon. Maybe even this evening."

  Her eyes narrowed. “Is that what's happening to my scar, too?"

  He dropped his gaze to her hands, and was slightly surprised to find them knotted together so tightly her knuckles were white. “Probably,” he allowed. “I didn't think about programming them for specific damage, so I'll bet the Enclave healer didn't either.” He looked back into her eyes. “Is it important?"

  "It's the only way to tell me from Talyn,” she whispered. So that was its significance. Like Sharif's hair and mimetic lenses.

  "I knew it wasn't you the instant I saw her,” he said to reassure her the scar wasn't needed anymore. “Long before I got the veil off her face so I could plant a fist where your scar is. With any luck, the signet ring gave her a scar by which to remember the occasion, so you're better off losing yours."

  Her eyes rounded and she let herself fall back against the bed. “You hit my sister?"

  He smiled at the memory. “I decked your sister. And then I let Leone have her."

  "Goddess, Leone didn't kill her, did she? It's an act of treason."

  "Not really. Your mother disowned her on the spot. Talyn finally dug a hole so deep, in front of so many witnesses, that she couldn't talk her way out of it.” Taryn sniffled and he relented. “But she's not dead.” His lips quirked at her alert expression. “She's been colle
cted by Sharif Mustafan Tanaka, heir to the presidency of the Hauptmann Cartel of the Garnsford system. It should be quite an eye-opening experience for her."

  "Collected? You mean ... he took her, like a slave?"

  "That's what I heard.” This time he let the evil smile out. “And he's one of five exact duplicates of their progenitor, Sharif Mustafan Tanaka the third. I wonder if he's still sharing everything with his crèche-mates?"

  Taryn giggled, finally smiling back at him, and something relaxed deep inside. They were still together, still bonded forever. “I was so afraid the last thing I would see would be you introducing Talyn as your bonded mate.” She shivered, and her eyes got suspiciously glittery.

  "That wasn't going to happen. You're the other half of me, Vixen. My one and only Amazon Prince.” He raised both her hands to his lips and kissed them, first left, then right, then left again. The door creaked and he stood up, still holding her hands. “They're about to throw me out, but don't worry about security. Juve's on the door now, and I'll have you surrounded if you want it."

  "I'd feel better if I could go with you.” She offered him a tentative smile. “I always seem to get into trouble when we get separated.” He froze, struck by the accuracy of her perception. The doctor cleared her throat from the doorway.

  "Juvenan, escort the doctor out of the room,” he called through the open door. “Vixen doesn't want to be alone.” The door swung open maybe thirty centimeters and the doctor was yanked through. He turned back to his mate and sat on the edge of the bed. “Now. Where were we? Ah, yes. No more Talyn, at least one heir successfully created, Zona ready to reunite Grant Barian and catapult Timarron into the DW. And, lest we forget, nobody is trying to kill us.” He nodded to himself. “As soon as we get this coronation business finished, I think we get a nice, long rest.” He looked at her and felt the contentment, the peace he'd never quite known before she entered his life. “Commander,” he whispered softly just before their lips met. “I do believe we just won."