The Queen's Advantage

by Jessie Mihalik

  Fuck. “Where is medical?”

  “On the second floor.”

  “Can you carry him?” I asked Imogen, tilting my head at Luka. She nodded, so I stepped around her into the stairwell.

  “Where are you hit? Can I put you over my shoulders?” she asked him.

  “Left side, left thigh, right calf, right arm. Do what you have to do.”

  Footsteps in the stairwell preceded Myra. She skidded to a stop when she caught sight of me. Several guards hovered behind her. She took in the scene in a glance. “Is he alive?” she asked.

  “Barely. Luka can’t link. Ask Junior to meet us in medical, now. Two down in the hall, possibly still alive. Find the three who escaped. Luka said they’re in guard uniforms and two of them are injured.”

  She turned to the guards behind her. “Secure the floor. Search the premises. No one in or out without my express permission, guards included.”

  They saluted and edged around us, sneaking glances at Valentin’s still form. Imogen heaved Luka up and draped his large form over her shoulders. His face was a mask of pain but he didn’t make a single sound.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  Myra led us down the stairs at a quick trot. I was strong enough to carry Valentin cradled like this, but my back and arm muscles burned as I tried my best to keep him from jostling on each step.

  An eternity later, we arrived on the second floor and made the short trip to medical, where Junior was waiting for us. When he saw Valentin’s state, deep lines bracketed his mouth.

  “Plasma pulse through the chest, right side,” I said. “Luka got him in the trauma-doc an unknown amount of time after the hit.”

  “Less than two minutes,” Luka grated out.

  “He’s been unresponsive since before I picked him up.”

  “Put him here, carefully,” Junior said with a wave to the nearest med chamber. The chamber was just long and wide enough for a single person, with a clear hood that sealed over the flat surface for the patient. It was the newest model, far superior to anything we had in Arx. A small army of doctors and nurses moved around the room, gathering supplies and programming the auto-doc.

  I set Valentin down and the machine started beeping. They were not happy beeps. Junior took over, tapping the control panel with quick, precise movements.

  I watched, helpless. Myra hovered at my shoulder. Behind us, Luka argued with another doctor. He refused to be put under while Valentin was defenseless. Unfortunately for him, his slurred voice meant he wasn’t going to be awake for much longer anyway.

  This was one problem I could solve. I turned to Luka. “The sooner you heal, the sooner you can protect Valentin, so shut up, lie down, and let the doctors do their jobs. I will guard him while you’re out.”

  Luka glared. “You’re the reason he’s injured. If he hadn’t been so distracted by you, he wouldn’t have been ambushed in his own fucking office.”

  The verbal dagger hit true. Valentin had survived multiple attempts on his life with barely a scratch. But then I’d shown up and he’d been attacked twice in two days. Now he teetered on the edge of death.

  I walled off my emotions and stared down at Luka with cool dispassion. “Do not blame me for your own failures. Get in the fucking med chamber so next time you might actually be able to do your fucking job.”

  Luka tried to lunge for me, but Imogen easily pinned him down on the med chamber table. His pallor was emphasized against her deep brown skin. He’d lost a lot of blood. Despite my harsh words, I was impressed he’d made it as far as he had.

  “Sedate him,” Junior ordered behind me.

  Luka growled something, but the doctor nearest him pressed an injector to his arm while Imogen held him still. He glared at me until his eyes slipped closed. This would not improve our relationship.

  I glanced around. There were too many people in here. Valentin was in the med chamber, fitted with a full-face breathing mask. That was a bad sign. It meant that they planned to fill the chamber with renewal fluids to supplement the work of the auto-doc.

  They’d cut away most of his clothes. His golden skin had lost its luster. He, too, had lost a lot of blood. What the fuck had happened?

  “Okay, on three, we’re removing the trauma-doc. Tanya, I want you standing by to flood the chamber as soon as we’re clear.”

  “Yes, Dr. Mobb,” a petite red-haired woman said.

  Junior removed the trauma-doc with the help of two nurses. The med chamber shrieked a warning as Valentin’s vitals plummeted. I held my breath as they quickly and carefully arranged Valentin in the middle of the operating table, then closed the chamber lid. Tanya tapped on the control screen and a thick, pinkish fluid poured over Valentin’s body.

  Junior took over the controls. “Come on, come on,” he murmured like a prayer.

  I watched over his shoulder as he tweaked setting after setting, and I found myself echoing his words, my heart in my throat, helpless to do anything but watch as the chamber continued to wail. The hole in Valentin’s chest was a mass of cauterization and renewal gel from the trauma-doc.

  I wished Stella was here, with her gift for healing and her no-nonsense bedside manner.

  After what felt like an age, Valentin’s vitals stabilized. They remained dangerously low, but they weren’t worsening, so that was a tiny bit of good news. My eyes felt gritty and my chest hurt. I didn’t dare feel relief, yet, though. I didn’t want to give the universe a reason to snatch him away.

  “Do you need all of these people?” I asked Junior quietly.

  Myra, still hovering near, said, “Keep the ones you trust most and send the rest home. I’ve got guards on the way to protect the hallway, but I’m putting this room on lockdown.”

  Junior frowned at us. “You think he’s in danger from my people?”

  “Someone wants him dead. It’s my job to keep him alive,” Myra said. “Send them home. Make sure whoever you keep knows we’ll be locked in until he wakes.”

  Junior sent a significant glance my way. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said to Myra. She nodded at him, and he capitulated. Junior kept four people and sent the rest home.

  After they left, Myra turned to me. “In or out? Once I lock this door, I’m not opening it until Valentin is awake.”

  I would be more useful if I weren’t trapped inside, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave Valentin when he was so vulnerable and Luka was out of commission. “In.”

  She nodded and manually locked the door with a lock that was only accessible from the inside. The quiet beeping of the med chambers was loud in the silence. Only the two chambers containing Luka and Valentin were filled.

  “Where are the captured soldiers?”

  Junior looked up from Valentin’s med chamber controls and shook his head. “One died late last night and the other passed early this morning.” When he caught my suspicious glance, his jaw firmed and his eyes flashed. “They weren’t killed, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m surprised they survived as long as they did. Neither regained consciousness and I had to manually program the auto-doc because it originally put their chance of survival too low to initiate treatment. I was here for both deaths and did everything I could.”

  “I apologize. It’s been a shitty twenty-four hours.” I swore. “Has anyone talked to Margie?”

  Myra’s expression went distant. “The empress’s bodyguard Rina says Marguerite is in her private garden and unharmed. I’ve advised them to seek protective shelter immediately.”

  “Were the other attackers caught?”

  Myra’s pinched look was answer enough.

  An hour later, Junior sighed and stopped his constant fiddling with the med chamber controls. The beeps sounded less ominous than they had when Valentin had first gone in. He turned to me and Myra. “The worst is past. He’ll pull through. He has healing augments, and the med chamber will do the rest.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was reassuring us or himself.

  Medical had been d
esigned as a refuge. It was stocked with water, rations, and a small bunk room, but the monotony of waiting left far too much time for thinking. The nurses had set up a rotation schedule and then two of them had disappeared into the bunks despite the fact that it had been morning. I supposed they were used to odd shifts.

  Junior checked on Valentin every ten minutes like clockwork. Myra situated herself in a corner where she could see everyone, but her distant expression meant she was linking. I sat next to Valentin’s med chamber and Imogen leaned against the wall nearby. I sent a message to Ari, letting her know that I was okay.

  Despite his augmented healing, Valentin remained unconscious. His vitals had stabilized, but Junior warned that he would likely remain out for at least a day and would need to remain where he was for several days after that. Tonight’s formal dinner had been canceled with the excuse that Valentin had taken ill.

  After Margie’s guard had gotten her to safety, the dowager empress linked me and demanded details. I had to tell her that Valentin was gravely injured and that we wouldn’t open the door, even for her. She took the news only marginally better than the advisors we’d locked out.

  Oskar, Hannah, and Asmo had all demanded entry and vowed to arrest us for treason when Myra had refused. Rumors were rampant that Rogue rebels had infiltrated the palace, and with Valentin out of commission, they grew unchecked.

  Time crawled. We’d been stuck in here for less than four hours, but already the inaction made me want to climb the walls. As my worry lessened, my anger grew. Someone had let attackers into the palace to kill Valentin.

  They had been very nearly successful.

  I’d already lost a ship; I refused to lose Valentin, too. The game had changed and I refused to play by polite rules any longer. I would find the fuckers responsible, even if I had to personally interrogate every one of Valentin’s advisors to see it done.

  I approached Myra. I still wasn’t completely confident she was clean, but I needed backup with clout and she was the best I had. “Have you found any surveillance video?”

  Her mouth compressed into an angry line. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

  “If you had to pick three advisors to investigate, who would you pick?” She hesitated, and I slashed a hand through the air. “The time for political bullshit is over. Valentin almost died. I am going to find out who is responsible with or without your help, but it’ll go faster if I have an ally.”

  “Oskar, Asmo, and Hannah.”

  “You said you didn’t think Oskar was a traitor.”

  “I don’t, but I might be wrong, and he has the connections.”

  I appreciated her frank honesty. “Find me that surveillance video.” When she nodded, I retreated back to my place by Valentin.

  It was time to dig into financials. I’d worked with a couple of information specialists in the past, so I carefully put together a request. I asked them to focus on Asmo, Oskar, Myra, Lewis, and Hannah. I included a limited search request for Junior and Joanna, just to ensure nothing obvious came up. And I figured I had nothing to lose at this point, so I also asked them to locate Nikolas. If anyone could find him, it would be one of them, and I might as well cover all the bases.

  Request sent, I settled in to wait.

  It took nine hours for the med chamber to release Luka, which meant he’d been far more injured than he’d let on. He scowled to find me next to Valentin, but after he verified that I hadn’t killed the emperor in his sleep, Luka gave me a grudging nod and settled down on the other side of Valentin’s med chamber.

  I took that for the temporary truce that it was.

  Near midnight, Myra and Luka had a low conversation, then Myra headed for the bunks. Luka remained at his post by Valentin. I hoped they had worked out a guarding schedule and Luka wasn’t trying to do it all himself.

  Imogen found a blanket and made herself a pallet on the floor with her back to the wall. I dozed in my chair near Valentin’s med chamber. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but it meant I awoke anytime someone came near.

  I drifted in the drowsy haze between awake and asleep, so when I heard Valentin’s voice in my head, I thought I was dreaming. When it repeated, I startled fully awake and checked on Valentin, but he remained out cold.

  It was early, before six, and only Luka remained awake. At his raised eyebrow, I shook my head and settled back into my chair.

  When I received a neural link connection from Valentin, I froze for a second before accepting it. Valentin?

  Yes. Did you forget my identity already? I could hear the mental smile, but he sounded tired and distant.

  What happened? Are you okay?

  I feel like shit, and I’m barely conscious, but I’m alive, despite the rumors indicating otherwise. But you need to get out of Koan. It’s not safe. I’ve given you access to my ship; it’s in the palace spaceport. Take Imogen and go.

  I checked the net. The rumors had worsened overnight. Now I stood accused of killing Valentin because he wouldn’t help me defeat the Rogue rebels. I was also accused of holding Myra and Junior hostage and forcing them to cover up the emperor’s death. There was no mention at all of the attackers who were killed in the family wing. People were pushing for Nikolas to be named emperor and for the Rogue Coalition to be held accountable—seemingly by blowing us out of existence.

  I’m not leaving Koan. If you issue a statement and people know you’re alive, things will settle down.

  There was a long pause. Maybe. I don’t know. The soldiers entered using Nikolas’s access codes. I don’t know if he was with them, working with them remotely, or tortured into giving up the codes. I didn’t sense him nearby, but I only caught a snippet of their communication before they nuked my ability to link. His tone was completely neutral, but hard proof that his own brother was involved in an attempt on his life had to hurt.

  I wished I could touch him, give him a hug. I’m so sorry.

  I had hoped that he wasn’t involved for Mom’s sake, but it is not a huge surprise. He sounded resigned. I’ve removed his entrance authorization.

  Revoking Nikolas’s access was long overdue, but I kept that opinion to myself. Sharing it wouldn’t help, even if it was the truth. Margie was going to be crushed—unless she, too, supported Nikolas. But her worry for Valentin had seemed too real and too raw to be an act, so I was inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt until I could talk to her.

  Do you think Nikolas is working with Adams? I asked.

  I have to assume so until I find evidence otherwise. But without the surveillance video, I have no proof either way.

  Proof was the one thing we were short on everywhere.

  Chapter Fourteen

  An hour after Valentin drifted back to sleep and left me with more questions than answers, I received a message from Finlay, the owner of Blind and my newest information source. It was flagged urgent and he claimed to have a lead on Adams. Two soldiers with plasma wounds had been brought to a back-alley doctor yesterday afternoon. That wasn’t so unusual in itself, but no one had seen them before, they spoke with Quint accents, and they were cagey.

  That still wouldn’t have been too strange, but when news of the attack hit the wire, Finlay had put two and two together, and had them followed when the doctor released them early this morning. A grainy picture was included that had been cropped to only show a single headshot. Commander Tony Adams wasn’t looking directly at the camera but there was no mistaking his identity.

  I transferred a small mountain of credits to Finlay’s identity and told him the other half was coming when his information proved reliable. I asked for any other information he could give me about the squad, location, and surrounding area.

  His response came back far faster than I anticipated. Either he had been waiting for my message or he was super eager to lead me into a trap. He said it looked like the crew was lying low with people rarely leaving the building.

  His informant had gotten a peek inside and counted five people, but Finlay w
arned there could be more. He’d told his man to stay put in a good vantage point and promised updates if the team moved. If this wasn’t a trap then Finlay had more than earned all of the promised credits.

  I approached Imogen first because I knew she was going to be the hardest to persuade. She wasn’t happy until we’d talked through every detail, every alternative, and every fallback. Even then I wouldn’t call her happy—more like begrudgingly resigned.

  I talked to Myra next because I needed backup to go up against a squad of soldiers, even if Luka had whittled their numbers. I would’ve preferred my own people at my back, but I didn’t have time to wait for them arrive. A loyal, cohesive squad of either Imperial Guards or Kos soldiers would be more trustworthy than an unknown unit of mercenaries hired at the eleventh hour.

  Myra wasn’t enthusiastic about committing her people, but when she realized I was leading the charge from the front, she reluctantly agreed. She promised me a squad of nine, but warned that she would give their commander autonomy to ignore my orders if it seemed like I was going to get them killed. It wasn’t ideal, but I was willing to work with what I had.

  By the time Valentin awoke for the second time, my plan was set. No one was entirely happy, but we all agreed that it was the best we could do, given the current information. Without knowing exactly who wanted Valentin dead and who they had in their pocket, we had to limit the information to the fewest number of people possible.

  This time, Valentin was awake enough to talk using the microphone built into his face mask. Junior, Myra, and Luka all crowded around the med chamber, peppering him with questions.

  “Why haven’t you gotten in front of the rumors of Queen Rani’s treachery and my death?” he demanded, his voice hoarse.

  “We’ve tried,” Myra said into the resulting silence. “No one believed us, not when much juicier gossip was spreading like wildfire.”

  “Let me out of here so I can make a statement.”

  “Absolutely not,” Junior said. “You haven’t healed enough. You’ll reopen the wound and injure yourself even more. Your shoulder blade was shattered. Bone takes time to mend.”