Then she nodded and sat down. There—she had said her piece. Let the Sacred Seven make of it what they wanted. She had nothing more to add in her own defense.
“Well…” Mistress Sinda seemed at a loss for what to say and the other Mistresses were muttering among themselves uneasily. But there was one person in the room who wasn’t at a loss for words.
“I’m tired of this!” Deelee stormed, standing up to face the high, white podium. “When am I going to get my inheritance back? The one she stole from me?” She pointed accusingly at Tandy, as though she had picked the money out of her pocket instead of being Aunt Zora’s rightful heir.
“I’m sorry, Mistress Deelee,” Mistress Sinda said coolly. “But Tandace disbursed most of the late Mistress Zora’s money and assets in the single hour when she was legally a full-fledged Mistress. And, as she was a Mistress at that time, the transactions she made are legal and binding.”
“What are you talking about? Where did she send my money?” Aunt Deelee demanded.
“Well…” Mistress Sinda consulted a small screen in front of her. “It appears that much of it was sent to another party on the other side of the planet. Another hundred thousand credits were sent off planet. And…this is the amount that is left in her personal account, which will revert to you as the next living relative of Mistress Zora.”
She held out the small hand-held screen and Deelee snatched it and glared at it.
“What?” she demanded, looking up again. “There must be some mistake—there were millions—billions! This is nothing—a few thousand! I want the rest—it must come back to me!”
“As I said, Tandace gave it away while she was legally a Mistress so that money is gone,” Mistress Sinda said, motioning for the guard to bring back the screen before Deelee broke it in a fit of rage. “Also, this court does not have the power to wrest private monies that belong to a third party away just because you feel personally injured. It might be different if you were the original intended recipient of Mistress Zora’s wealth but you were not. So I’m sorry, Mistress Deelee, the amount I showed you is all you will receive.”
“Well, but I’ll have her property at least,” Deelee said, as though trying to comfort herself. “The Sky-needle will bring me hundreds of thousands a month in rent credits.”
“I’m afraid not,” Mistress Sinda said blandly. “The Sky-needle building in downtown Opulex was deeded away to Mistress Zora’s three elderly slaves at the same time that Tandace freed them—again, while she was legally a full-fledged Mistress. So their ownership of the building is legal and binding.”
“What?” Deelee exploded. “She gave away the Sky-needle to slaves? And you just let her?”
“This Council didn’t let her do anything,” Mistress Sinda snapped. Clearly she was getting sick of Deelee’s outbursts. “Tandace did what she wanted with her property during the period when she was legally a Mistress. Because of that, all her contracts are legal and binding. The small sum I showed you is all you will receive, even if all her assets revert to you.”
“But that’s…that’s…” Deelee was turning purple in the face, her thin hair—which was combed up into a thin fan around her narrow head—quivering with rage.
“And may I warn you, Mistress Deelee, before you say another word,” Mistress Sinda said, “That this Council is sick and tired of your endless avarice and greed. If Mistress Zora had wanted you to have her money and assets after her death, she would have made you the beneficiary of her will. Seeing that she did not—and in fact didn’t legally leave you anything at all—leads this Council to believe that she didn’t consider you worthy of her wealth. And I, for one, tend to agree.” And she banged the round crystal in her hand loudly against the podium. “Now—moving on…does anyone have any personal plea to enter for Tandace Sweetbottom before the Sacred Seven decide her fate?”
Tandy bit her lip and looked around the room. Her expensive personal Councilor had explained that while her mother had wanted desperately to come, her brother had suddenly had a complication due to his surgery and she had been unable to travel. Also, she had feared that if she appeared in court on Tandy’s behalf it would make things worse for her, not better.
After all, her mother had run away with her own slave almost twenty-five cycles before. The Sacred Seven were hardly more likely to be lenient if she returned to speak on her daughter’s behalf after defying the law of Yonnie Six so many years before.
Tandy understood her reasoning and didn’t blame her mom for not being there. She must feel torn in two, with one child being sentenced—possibly to death—and the other barely hanging onto life during a dangerous and difficult surgery. Still, she wished she could have seen her just one more time. Now that Vrox had abandoned her, it felt like her family were the only people who truly loved her anymore and she missed them all dreadfully.
“Yes,” Aunt Deelee, who had been fuming in the corner, suddenly broke the waiting silence. “Yes, I have something to say for my niece—a personal plea to make,” she said.
Tandy looked at her in surprise. After finding out that Aunt Zora’s assets and money were gone beyond retrieving and she was only getting a few thousand out of the billions her late aunt had left, Deelee was the last person she’d imagined would make a personal plea for her. Was her greedy aunt about to surprise her with a plea for mercy?
“Yes, Mistress Deelee,” Mistress Sinda said formally. “We will hear your personal plea on behalf of your niece, Tandace Sweetbottom.”
“Very well—here is my plea. Kill her.” Deelee’s poison-green eyes flashed malevolently. “I want her dead and gone and out of my sight! She stole my inheritance and she deserves to die!”
This seemed to shock even the Sacred Seven. They murmured among themselves and Mistress Gladbag said, “Really, Mistress Deelee, the personal plea is usually for mercy, not death. It’s extremely bloodthirsty of you to ask for your own niece to be killed!”
Tandy thought so too, but she couldn’t say she was surprised. Aunt Deelee was being true to her character to the end.
Only it’s my end, not hers, she thought dully. They’ll pump me full of lethal poison within the next hour as soon as they pass judgment. They probably have the syringe all drawn up and ready to go right now…
“Very well.” Mistress Sinda pounded on the podium with the round crystal again. I’m very sorry it’s come to this, Tandace, but I’m afraid this Council has no choice but to rule that you are guilty of High Treason and you must pay for your crimes. I sentence you to death by—”
“Wait!” A new voice rang out through the judgment room. “I have something to say—a personal plea to make on behalf of the accused.”
Tandy’s head jerked up and she saw a lovely Mistress with long dark hair, pale skin, and dark eyes marching down the center of the room. Could that be Mistress Neh’sa? Tandy had heard of her because her Aunt Zora had approved of the other woman’s methods of humane slave treatment and training but she had only seen her once or twice since Zora had never taken her to many social gatherings.
“Neh’sa!” Mistress Sinda’s gray eyes went wide in obvious shock. “I haven’t seen you in nearly a cycle! Rumor was that you had moved off-planet.”
“I did move off-planet but I still have many holdings and business ties to Yonnie Six,” Mistress Neh’sa said.
“Well, what are you doing here?” Mistress Gladbag demanded.
“I am here to speak on behalf of Tandace Sweetbottom.” Neh’sa nodded her head gracefully in Tandy’s direction. “And to stop her execution—which I believe you were about to order, Sinda.”
“Well, yes I was.” Mistress Sinda lifted her chin. “She has pleaded guilty to trying to defraud the Sacred Seven which carries with it the penalty of death by reason of treason.”
“She is only guilty of letting herself fall in love,” Mistress Neh’sa said. “And which of us has not committed that sin at one time or another?” She shot a level glance at Mistress Sinda who suddenly dropped her e
yes and shifted in her chair.
“Neh’sa,” she protested uneasily. “You can’t just walk in here and demand that we let her off after she made fools of us all!”
“Tandy hasn’t hurt anything but your pride—you’ll live,” Neh’sa said evenly. “Let the punishment fit the crime—if you want to punish Tandy, then banish her permanently from Yonnie Six but don’t kill her.”
“But she’s committed treason!” Mistress Gladbag blustered. “We can’t just let her walk free!”
“You can and you will.” There was steel in Neh’sa’s voice as she looked at all the Mistresses in turn. “Several of you owe me a debt and I am calling those debts in now. Tandy is leaving with me and she’s never coming back to bother you again. Am I understood?”
Tandy watched in awe as the Sacred Seven—formerly so stern and unyielding—suddenly turned into a pack of frightened, guilty-looking women. There was a lot of shifting in chairs and shuffling of feet and clearing of throats and for a moment no one spoke. Then, finally, Mistress Sinda said,
“All in favor of commuting the sentence of death to one of permanent banishment for the accused, Tandace Sweetbottom?”
There was a unanimous chorus of “Ayes,” almost at once.
“Very good—motion carried. Tandace Sweetbottom, you are hereby permanently banished from Yonnie Six,” Mistress Sinda said. She pointed at Tandy. “You may leave with Mistress Neh’sa but if you return at any time to this planet, your life is forfeit. Do I make myself clear?”
“Perfectly, Mistress Sinda.” Tandy spoke through numb lips. She still couldn’t understand what had happened. Didn’t understand how she had been saved by a great and respected Mistress she didn’t even know at the last second. It wasn’t that she wasn’t grateful—she really was. But she was also confused. What was going on?
There was one person who didn’t appear confused, though. As Mistress Neh’sa took her arm and murmured that they should leave, Deelee rose from her place and began to shout.
“No—no! You can’t just let her go like that! She stole all my money! She robbed me and now she’s not even going to die for it! I want her killed! I want to see her dead for what she did!” She turned to the Sacred Seven and shouted. “I’ll tell everyone what just happened here! How Mistress Neh’sa has some kind of dirt on you all and blackmailed you into letting the little bitch go free! I swear I will!”
“Mistress Deelee, I have had as much of you as I can stand!” Mistress Sinda’s face was white with fury. She pointed at Deelee. “I hereby hold you in high contempt of this Council which carries with it the sentence of ninety-nine years hard labor in the gorntha mines of Helios Prime.”
“What?” Deelee’s face went a dirty shade of pale. “You can’t do that to me!” she exclaimed. “You can’t just pronounce judgment like that! You’re only one person, Sinda! The entire Council would have to agree to send me away!”
Mistress Sinda looked around at her fellow Mistresses.
“All in favor?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.
The chorus of “Ayes” was instant and unanimous.
“Very good. Motion carried.” Mistress Sinda banged the round crystal on the podium and motioned for the guards. “See that she’s transported immediately and don’t let her speak to anyone along the way. If I ever see her again, you’ll all be very, very sorry.”
“Yes, Mistress Sinda.” The Rothian guards bowed ponderously and then moved to take charge of the shouting, screaming Deelee. Two of them got her by the arms, despite her thrashing, and the third clapped a big, three-fingered hand over her mouth to muffle his shrieks.
Tandy watched with wide eyes as they dragged her out. It wasn’t like she’d liked Aunt Deelee—the other woman had wanted her dead, after all. But it was still a sobering experience to watch someone taken away for a life of hard labor.
“My Goddess,” she murmured under her breath. “Is that legal? I mean, can they do that? Just send her away for life like that without even a trial?”
“They’re the Sacred Seven—the can pretty much do as they please,” Mistress Neh’sa murmured back. “Which is why we need to get out of here now.”
Taking Tandy by the arm, she nodded regally to Mistress Sinda and several other Council members and escorted her rapidly from the judgment room.
It was like a dream—or maybe like the end of a nightmare. Tandy didn’t really believe she would be allowed to walk free until Mistress was leading her across the lawn of the Justice Hall to the docking area. There, waiting for them, was a sleek, interstellar ship with Mistress Neh’sa’s personal insignia draw on the side in gold.
“Thank you.” Tandy turned to the other woman. “I don’t know why you came—I mean, I don’t even know you. But thank you so much for saving my life! I’m forever in your debt.”
“You’re welcome my dear—I’m always happy to help a fellow Mistress in need.” Mistress Neh’sa smiled at her.
“But…how did you get them to let me go?” Tandy still couldn’t understand it. “Why did they just agree not to kill me?”
“Well…” Mistress Neh’sa looked around to make certain that no one was near them and lowered her voice. “Let’s just say that when I lived here on Yonnie Six I was in the business of…helping Mistresses in need.”
“In need?” Tandy still didn’t understand. “How did you help them?”
“My dear—do you think you’re the only one who ever fell in love with her slave?” Neh’sa asked, smiling. “Because I promise you, you’re not. Many Mistresses came to me to avoid an illegal seeding situation. And some, who had already had such a situation, came to me to help them resolve it.” She arched an eyebrow. “I remember one young Mistress in particular who was desperate because she had her slave’s baby growing in her belly and she knew her mother would disown her and cast her out if she gave birth and it was a male.”
Tandy remembered Mistress Sinda telling her that Kindred were “easy to love” and saying how her mother had sent her own Kindred slave away. Could it be that she’d been pregnant with his child when that happened?
“Was it Mistress Sinda?” she asked in an awed whisper. “What happened to her? And the baby?”
“I cannot absolutely reveal the identity of the one I speak of,” Mistress Neh’sa said. “But I will say that she now sits on the Sacred Seven Council. At the time she was in trouble, I helped her go away for a ‘retreat’ on another planet until the baby was born. I even found the slave she had fallen in love with and tried to buy him.” She shook her head, a look of sorrow coming into her dark eyes. “Unfortunately, I was too late. Her mother had sold him to a mining colony and he was killed in a cave-in before I could purchase his freedom. The Mistress was heartbroken, of course. She gave up the baby—which I found a good home for—and came back to her life on Yonnie Six.”
“Oh, how sad!” Tandy thought of the longing way Mistress Sinda had spoken of how Kindred were easy to love and how certain she’d been that Vrox was the right slave for Tandy to train.
I guess she was wrong about that, though, she thought bitterly. The first chance he got, he ditched me. She wanted to be angry at the big Kindred but instead a great wave of longing rolled over her. If only he hadn’t left her! If only his love had been as true as it had seemed! She felt so alone now—so friendless. Where would she go now that she was banished from her home world forever?
“You know, Tandy, I didn’t come to get you on my own,” Neh’sa said, breaking into her morbid thoughts. “Someone you know sent me. Someone who loves you to distraction.”
“What?” They were nearing the sleek interstellar ship now and Tandy’s heart began to pound. “You don’t mean—”
Suddenly the door of the ship slid open and a rough, bearded face with familiar mismatched eyes looked out at her.
“Come here, little girl,” Vrox rumbled, holding out his arms. “I’m going to take you home.”
Twenty-Five
“So is she mad at you? Does she understand why y
ou had to leave and why you couldn’t come after her yourself?” Thorn asked, pouring them both a drink as they sat at the small bar in the back of the ship.
They were still in orbit around Yonnie Six but they were about to head out since Neh’sa had finished her official business there. She and Thorn were heading for the Mother Ship which was orbiting Earth’s moon, but they had offered to drop Vrox and his partner and Tandy off wherever they wanted along the way.
The problem was, Vrox wasn’t sure where he wanted to be dropped. Dannen was still refusing to even talk to Tandy and was avoiding her entirely. As for Vrox, since their first rapturous meeting after Neh’sa had rescued her and brought her back to the ship, his little Mistress had turned suddenly shy and uncertain around him. She’d barely spoken two words to him in the last two days, which left him feeling uncertain about where they stood.
“I don’t think she’s mad at me,” he said, taking a sip of the excellent Fireflower ale and nodding to show his approval. “It’s more like…she thinks I’m mad at her for some reason. At least I think that’s how she’s acting—females can be fucking confusing, you know?”
“I know exactly what you mean, Brother.” Thorn clinked glasses with him, toasting the sentiment, and took a sip of his own ale. “But why would she think you’d be mad at her?”
“I don’t know.” Vrox frowned into his glass. “Maybe…” He hesitated, not sure how to say what was on his mind. “Look, Brother,” he said, looking up at the other Kindred. “Your mate—your lady—is a Mistress of Yonnie Six too. So can I ask you…” He trailed off, shaking his head.
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