by Alix Nichols
Marye hadn’t been authorized to share that information with anyone yet, not even with other Association members. They knew that Jancel, his mother, and Nyssa were safe. They talked with them over commlets from time to time. But they were in the dark as to their whereabouts.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Jancel had said to Aynu, Rhori, and Duko on one occasion. “I just prefer to err on the side of caution when my family’s safety is at stake.”
And who could blame him?
Marye turned to Aynu. “Who do you think Boggond would name as the new commander of the army?”
“No idea.”
“All I ask is that it isn’t Chief Ultek,” Leehash said, raising his eyes skyward.
Aynu turned to Leehash. “Could you give us a moment?”
The steward knit his brows disapprovingly. “Your Royal Glory, your safety—”
“Just a few feet farther than usual.” She tilted her head to the side and smiled. “I need a moment to discuss something private with Marye.”
With a nod, he placed himself out of earshot.
“Have you heard from your friend Geru? Do you know where he could be?” Aynu asked her. “Ever since Rhori blurted those rash words and Geru disappeared after leaving behind that cryptic letter, I can’t help worrying about him.”
It was Marye’s turn to say she had no idea.
The Ra-dragon sharing her bed had always denied he was Geru. There was a distinct possibility that he really wasn’t. There was also the possibility that she’d gone mad, and her matings with him were nothing more than fits of delirium.
With a shock, Marye realized she’d rather stay crazy than never have a fit like that again.
3
Lord Boggond glanced at the clock on his office wall.
He was running more than an hour late.
Judge Mahabmet, Voqras, and Ultek had been waiting for him in one of the smaller meeting rooms of the Governor’s Palace. He pictured the three most powerful men in the realm—after himself—pacing the room or tapping their fingers on the table. Or fidgeting with their commlets. Or looking at their wristwatches and then at the door.
Lord Boggond turned the page of the Special Antiques Auction Catalog he was perusing.
Let them wait.
He’d make it up to the high judge through some favor or other. As for the captain of Lord Boggond’s guard and the police chief, wasn’t it part of their job to wait on him? Hell, he would’ve dragged his feet even more if it hadn’t been for the auction this afternoon! Making his subordinates wait was one of the ways of asserting his authority. Because that beefy foreign cyborg and the oversexed, overstepping cop did need reminding who was in charge in Eia.
The other reason Lord Boggond wasn’t rushing to the meeting room was that he still hadn’t made up his mind with regard to Ultek. The imbecile had gone after Commander Heidd while Lord Boggond and Voqras were off-planet, despite clear instructions to hold off. And he’d made a monumental mess of it.
Now, Lord Boggond had to pick a new commander in chief. And he had to decide how to punish Ultek.
With a sigh, Lord Boggond shut the catalog and headed to the meeting room, his bodyguards in tow.
“So, tell me, Chief.” He turned to Ultek after acknowledging the other two men with a nod. “I leave the planet for a few days, and I come back to a missing commander of the army and four dead special unit cops.” He paused to glare. “What happened?”
It was a relief Ultek was shorter than Voqras and Mahabmet, so Lord Boggond didn’t need to look up when he demanded an explanation. His diminutive size was one of the many things Lord Boggond reproached his late parents for. Even the heel lifts in his shoes and the shoulder pads in his jacket couldn’t make him look “manly.” What was it the voice in his nightmares had said to him lately? You weren’t born to look manly. You were born to be a great man.
“I’ve done nothing wrong, Your Grace!” Ultek’s eyes darted to Voqras and back to Lord Boggond. “Those officers were Jancel’s moles in the force.”
Lord Boggond glared at him. “Oh, really?”
“Yes! They must’ve gotten wind of the op—which I had halted, as per your orders—and helped him, his mother, and that little Sebi whore get away.”
“Weren’t they your best, most trusted officers?” Lord Boggond tut-tutted. “How ungrateful of them!”
“I couldn’t agree more, Your Grace,” Ultek said.
The cheek of him! “I have only one question, then, Zorom.” Stepping closer, Lord Boggond jabbed Ultek’s chest with his finger. “Why did we find their dead bodies in the Iltaqa woods?”
“Heidd killed them so there’d be no loose ends,” Ultek said without batting an eye.
Does he think I was born yesterday?
Voqras folded his arms across his broad chest. “Chief Ultek, you do realize how farfetched that sounds, right?”
“We questioned their parents and spouses.” Ultek glowered at Voqras. “Every single interrogation corroborated my theory.”
Voqras smirked. “You mean every single torture session.”
“Captain.” Ultek’s voice shook with suppressed rage, “If you know a better way to make a mother rat on her son, I’m all ears.”
“Why didn’t you give them the truth serum?”
Ultek shrugged. “I’ve run out of stock.”
Lord Boggond stepped closer. “Here’s what I think happened, Zorom. You sent those men to murder Heidd, but Heidd killed them somehow and got away.”
Voqras cleared his throat. “It’s the most logical explanation, Your Grace. But unless Heidd was a secret super-cyborg, fooling us all this time, I don’t see how he could’ve killed four elite cops armed with blasters without firing a single shot himself.”
Ultek flinched, a hint of panic in his eyes. “Who says he hadn’t shot them?”
“I saw their autopsy reports.” Voqras arched an eyebrow. “The first ones, before you edited them. No bullet wounds, no blaster fire. All four were stabbed.”
“Maybe he had help,” Ultek muttered.
“Or maybe”—Lord Boggond cocked his head—“you had help. Maybe, after those four cops had killed Heidd and his mother, you sent in a second squad to kill the killers and snag the pretty Lady Sebi for your basement collection.”
Ultek shook his head. “With due respect, that doesn’t make any sense, Your Grace.”
There was a long silence.
Lord Boggond clasped his hands before speaking again. “All right. Let’s assume you aren’t lying through your teeth, and your story checks out. Where do you think Heidd and his women went to? The East Upland? North Woods? Frontier Zone?”
“Across the border to Teteum,” Ultek said. “I’d wager he’s with the enemy generals as we speak, selling out our positions and military secrets.”
Mahabmet finally opened his mouth. “Knowing Heidd, I very much doubt it.”
“Where do you think he is, Lord Mahabmet?” Lord Boggond asked.
“He’s probably in the highlands, possibly helped by one or more of his loyal officers. I wouldn’t be surprised if he joined the Association now that he’s been forced to become an outlaw.”
The high judge was probably right.
Fleeing to Teteum, the realm that had invaded Eia and Heidd had fought against for four long years, wasn’t something the commander would do. Even knowing he’d been betrayed by the ruler of his own realm.
Bloody pit of Xereill!
“I want you to know that your bogus investigation into this incident will not change your own fate,” he said to Ultek, “Whatever happened to Heidd, it happened on your watch, and you’ll suffer the consequences.”
“What consequences?” Ultek asked.
The nerve! “I’ll give you one. Forget about the commander’s position. I’ll appoint one of Heidd’s majors. I’ll nominate a private, if I can’t find a suitable major. A menial if I must. But not you.”
Ultek’s eyes narrowed to slits.
&nb
sp; “And that will be the least of your concerns,” Lord Boggond hissed at him.
Pushing his shoulders back, he added more calmly. “Leave me. All of you.”
Once Ultek and Mahabmet were out the door, Voqras backtracked to Lord Boggond’s side. “Your Grace, may I show you something?”
“No. I have to be at the Auction House in thirty minutes.”
“It won’t take more than ten minutes of your time, my lord.” Voqras smiled. “I believe you’ll like what you’ll see.”
“You have five minutes.”
He followed Voqras down the hallway, then down the steps of the central staircase to the ground floor, another hallway, another staircase. A dark and narrow one this time.
They entered a room with a woman sitting with her back to the door, staring at a strange display of three unframed, blurry pictures on the wall.
“What is this?” Lord Boggond asked.
“Monitors.”
Lord Boggond had no idea what that meant. “Explain.”
“Courtesy of Governor Horbell, you now have the newest, most advanced surveillance technology in Xereill.”
“What does it do?”
Voqras pointed to one of the picture-like objects. “Look closer.”
The picture represented an entryway of a rich house, complete with ornate furniture, rugs and chandeliers. Then the entrance door opened, and a well-dressed woman walked in followed by a maid. Lord Boggond took a step toward the device and peered. There was no doubt. The woman was Yvory, Ultek’s wife.
He turned to Voqras. “Am I to understand you can now see what goes on inside his house?”
“Yes, Your Grace. Would you like me to explain how it works and how we’ve done it?”
“No. Can you see his basement?”
Voqras pointed at the monitor to the right.
Lord Boggond took in several small groups of half-naked young women inside what looked like a big cage. “I can’t make out their faces.”
“We’ve studied them carefully,” Voqras said. “Nyssa Sebi isn’t among them.”
“So Heidd did get away.”
“Quite possibly.”
Lord Boggond glanced at his watch. “I have to go. Keep me appraised.”
“I most certainly intend to.”
“Can you get more of this equipment?” Lord Boggond asked halting by the door.
“It’s very new and extremely expensive.” Voqras smiled his freakish smile. “But if you make up your mind about the hive cyborg squadron, I’ll do my best to convince Governor Horbell to include a little bonus with the package.”
Ah, the hive cyborgs.
Lord Boggond had spent too many sleepless nights already debating the matter. He wanted them. He couldn’t afford them, but they’d allow him to attack and crush Teteum if their upkeep didn’t drive his own realm into financial ruin first.
“I need more time to think about it,” he said to Voqras and strode out the door.
The auction had been disappointing with its sole Middle Ra artifact—a gold ouroboros—turning out to be less refined in real life than in the catalog.
Peeved, Lord Boggond left before the end.
Chief Ultek stood outside the building, clearly stalking him.
“You’re only making it worse,” Lord Boggond said to him from behind his bodyguards’ large backs.
“I want to make you an offer.”
“You’re in no position to make offers.”
“I know but—”
“Listen to me carefully, Zorom. For me to make you commander in chief, Divine Aheya would need to descend to Hente and turn all of us into squirks, understood?” Lord Boggond took a step toward his vehicle.
“I’ve given up on that ambition,” Ultek said. “I just want a small favor in exchange for vital information.”
Lord Boggond rolled his eyes but stopped in his tracks nonetheless. “Talk.”
“Not in front of them,” Ultek pointed to the security detail.
At Lord Boggond’s command, his bodyguards searched Ultek and then fell back, but close enough to be able to intervene should the police chief try something.
“Let me eliminate Ghaw,” Ultek whispered into Lord Boggond’s ear, “and I’ll give you a window into Voqras’s soul.”
“I don’t need your inept analysis.”
“Not analysis—facts. What he’s really up to.”
Lord Boggond knew why Ultek wanted Achlins Ghaw dead. The editor of the Iltaqa Gazette had been conducting his own investigation into the string of disappearances of young menial women, which he referred to as “the girl snatcher case.” The reporter was getting closer and closer to Ultek. It was a matter of weeks before Ghaw connected all the dots and exposed the truth.
Which suited Lord Boggond just fine. He’d claim complete ignorance and act as shocked as the next man.
Not only was he not going to move a finger to save Ultek’s skin, but he might even let Ghaw know how much he admired Ghaw’s work on the case. How much he rooted for the journalist to do what the police couldn’t and find the “girl snatcher.”
As for the upcoming Endorsement Vote, Ghaw—if he was stupid enough to run—stood no chance against Lord Boggond. He had no money to fund his bid and no one to bankroll him.
The Sebi fortune had been seized, and already spent to constitute Lord Boggond’s own campaign fund, pay some of the realm’s most toxic debts, and fill some of the most glaring holes in Lord Boggond’s Ra artifact collection.
Haddu Gokk wouldn’t dare to support an opposition candidate, especially not now when he knew himself to be in the crosshairs. Nor would any of the other rich families.
“I need Ghaw alive,” he said.
Ultek wiped his sweaty forehead and scratched his greasy hair. Then, as if to test Lord Boggond’s gag reflex, he stroked his revolting mustache. “All right. I’ll give you Voqras with nothing in return, as a gesture of goodwill.”
“I am speechless.”
“Your Grace, despite what you were recently led to believe, I am your friend and your staunchest supporter. Your only real supporter.”
Lord Boggond waved dismissively. “What do you have on Voqras?”
“I have an ear in his house—”
“You, fool! Voqras is a hive cyborg. He can manipulate technology better than you or me ever could. He is part machine, for Aheya’s sake. I’ll bet he’s already detected your ear thingy and is deliberately feeding it rubbish.”
“It’s a Ra-human ear,” Ultek said.
Lord Boggond blinked, taken by surprise.
“I’ve managed to insert one of my best moles into Voqras’s house. He’s hired her as a maid.”
“So, she eavesdrops.”
Ultek grinned. “And spies and snoops. The good old level-one tech way. She’s brilliant at it.”
“Congratulations.” Lord Boggond gave Ultek a low-lidded look. “So, what’s the scoop?”
“Where do I begin?” Ultek pinched his chin. “Maybe, in the bedroom. Voqras fucks Yemella.”
“I’m not surprised, the way she’s been flirting with him.”
Disappointment flickered in Ultek’s eyes, but he hid it quickly. “Before they hump, she puts on a long-hooded gown that completely hides her stocky body and ugly snout.”
Lord Boggond said nothing.
“The gown has holes in it, so he wouldn’t need to lift it and look at her while they get it on. Here and here.” Ultek showed the spots on himself.
Lord Boggond furrowed his brow, somewhat bewildered.
“They pretend she’s someone else,” Ultek said with a smirk. “Voqras calls her ‘lady superintendent’. He says he’s been obsessed with her ever since he saw the broadcast of her inauguration. Just before he comes, he yells, ‘Oh, Your Grace!’ ”
“So, my head of security does my head of communications while having a secret crush on the new superintendent of LOR.” Lord Boggond curled his lip. “That’s fascinating, Zorom. That’s truly, profoundly vital.”
>
“I’m not done yet,” Ultek said, unfazed. “It was just a spicy little tidbit to whet your appetite. Here’s the real scoop. Voqras has been slacking lately and answering his commlet while inside the house, not bothering to go outside. He does take care to speak quietly, but his voice carries. And, as I said, Your Grace, my mole is very good.”
Lord Boggond yawned demonstratively. “Wake me up when you get to the vital part.”
“There’s an exceptional, one-of-a-kind rich-blood on Hente,” Ultek said. “In Eia.”
Lord Boggond’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be… him? All those visions, the voice he’d been hearing in his head, the sense of destiny—
“Unfortunately,” Ultek added, “that rich-blood seems to spend more time on Norbal than on Hente these days.”
Oh. Not him, then. Lord Boggond leaned in. “What kind of rich-blood?”
“A dragon shifter.”
“There’s no such thing.”
“Apparently, there is. When Voqras talks about him over the commlet with Horbell, there are no ‘ifs’ and not a shadow of doubt in his voice. To them, it’s a fact.”
“Have they seen him shift to dragon form?”
“They must have. Or maybe they have foolproof evidence. Horbell is dying to catch him.”
“Go on.”
“They tried to drug him on Norbal, but it didn’t work. Voqras’s new brief is to find him when he’s in Eia in his Ra-human form and deliver him to Horbell.”
“All right,” Lord Boggond conceded. “That’s more interesting than Voqras and Yemella’s fornication. But how is it vital?”
“If I beat Voqras to it and catch the shifter, you’ll have a bargaining chip, Your Grace. Depending on how badly Horbell wants him, maybe you can barter him for that winged demon squad you’ve been dreaming about.”