Blood and Betrayal (54 page)

Amaranthe paused for a moment, to see if Sespian wanted to say anything. He didn’t.

“I can’t claim to know everything that’s in his head,” she went on. “You’ve probably noticed he’s a slightly reticent man. But I know he wants a chance to know you. And for you to know him. I’m sure he doesn’t expect any sort of loving, hugging father-son relationship—” that finally drew a reaction, if only a snort, “—but your mother forbade him from having anything to do with you, and he regrets that you grew up fearing him. I know you think he’s a monster, and I’m not going to try and defend what he’s done in his life, but I believe that’s entirely a result of how he was raised. He’s only given me glimpses into what had to have been a nightmarish childhood, but I’m sure the dastardly details are there in Hollowcrest’s old office somewhere if you were ever inclined to search for them. Given what he went through… ” Amaranthe winced, thinking of Pike and wishing that she could burn him from the pages of her memory. “
Knowing
what he went through first-hand,” she amended, “even if I only had to experience it for a week, I find it remarkable that he’s capable of caring about you or anyone else.”

Sespian shook his head stubbornly.

Amaranthe prodded at mold fuzzing a crevice between two boards and reminded herself that they weren’t staying long enough to need to clean anything. Though she would find this conversation easier if her hands had something to do.

“Whatever your opinion is of him,” Amaranthe said, clasping her hands in her lap, “Sicarius is very professional and practical about his… career and the way he lives his life. I know you’re thinking I have no way of truly knowing what happened with him and your mother, but he’s not a rapist. Had he been raised by a couple of nice, loving parents, I sincerely believe he would have been a good man.” She felt it important to mention that, even if Sespian wouldn’t believe it, because he was probably thinking his own blood was somehow tainted now—as if Sicarius could be any worse than Raumesys, a man who’d apparently thought nothing of hiring Pike as his master interrogator. “From what he told me, I inferred that your mother chose him much like you’d choose a stud for breeding a hound. You must grant that he’s exceedingly skilled and gifted at what he does, and they’re the same traits that would have made a superior soldier or athlete or even the type of emperor Turgonians are used to.” The corners of her mouth quirked upward of their own volition. “I guess your mother wasn’t counting on there being an artistic bent in there.”

Sespian had been patient, or at least silent, thus far, but at this he rolled his eyes, looking every bit like a teenage boy for a moment. “Oh, please, you’re not trying to tell me I got
that
from him.”

“Ask him to draw something sometime.”

“He does
not
draw.”

Amaranthe couldn’t tell if there was any curiosity behind the flat denial. She decided not to admit that Sicarius’s only interest in art had apparently come from a cartography class where some tutor had suggested that an assassin ought to be able to draw maps of areas he’d spied upon. Instead, she smiled again and asked, “Who do you think drew the ranmya designs for our counterfeiting scheme?”

“Tracing isn’t drawing,” Sespian muttered. “Though… I suppose the engravings would have to be in reverse… ”

At least he seemed thoughtful over the idea. Amaranthe wouldn’t try to elicit promises or ask for his opinions, not at this point. If she’d started him thinking that his mother had chosen Sicarius, and that there might have been good reasons for that choice, that was enough. She had a feeling she couldn’t do much more anyway. If Sespian and Sicarius were to have any sort of relationship at all, Sicarius would have to figure out the rest.

“We’ll be leaving soon if you want to come,” Amaranthe said.

“To what ends? I’m not the legitimate emperor. As soon as the Forge people get the word out about that, it’ll be true in all senses. And… I would not wish to live a lie, regardless.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that… ” Not really, but she needed to start. If they were going to oust Ravido Marblecrest and keep Forge from implementing their new money plan, they’d need some sort of alternative to push forward. She thought of Books’s words. Creating a new government was a little more comprehensive of an alternative than she’d meant to push forward, but maybe… Maybe the idea had merit. Knowing Books, he’d designed some sort of republic or meritocracy, so there’d be a lot of opposition from those entrenched in the warrior-caste way of life, but all those up-and-coming entrepreneurs would surely love a system where one could reach the highest levels in society and government no matter to whom one had been born. And perhaps a radical change in government might assuage some of the anti-Turgonian sentiment out there from those the empire had conquered or otherwise mistreated over the centuries.

Audacious, girl, she thought. Was she truly contemplating going back to the capital and trying to change a seven-hundred-year-old form of government? Whether it worked or not, it’d probably get her that place in the history books she craved. She chuckled. The men would accuse her of being a megalomaniac. They’d say she was crazy, and this time they’d be right. Maybe she could blame Books. He’d started her ore cart down this track.

“It looks terribly entertaining in there,” Sespian said.

“What?” Amaranthe forced her mind back to the moment.

“In your head.”

“Oh.” This time, her chuckle was more self-conscious. “It’s, uhm, a fascinating place for sure. At least I think so.” Amaranthe stood, extending her hand. “You better come along. This is going to be interesting.”

Sespian regarded it thoughtfully for a moment before accepting it. “Promise?”

“Oh, yes.”

~

T
hank you for reading the latest Emperor’s Edge novel. I hope you enjoyed the story! I’ll be taking a break from EE to write the sequel to
Encrypted
next, (I’m planning to tie the two story lines together at the end of Book 6), but I hope to have both books ready for you in 2013. In the meantime, if you haven’t read
Encrypted
, it explains where the alien technology (and that black knife) comes from. Also, a young Sicarius makes an appearance in the latter half of the book, for those interested in seeing more of him.

As always, I’d love to hear from you; you can get in touch with me on
Facebook
,
Twitter
, or
my blog
. If you’d like to chat with other readers, there’s an
Emperor’s Edge forum
now (some of the members have posted EE fan art, and you can see the collection on
my Pinterest account
). If you visit the forum, watch out for Maria Bender McConnaughy and Alex Baird, the leaders of the Naughty Brigade. They might wish to… recruit you.

THE EMPEROR’S EDGE UNIVERSE

NOVELS

The Emperor’s Edge, Book 1

Dark Currents, Book 2

Deadly Games, Book 3

Conspiracy
,
Book 4

Blood and Betrayal, Book 5

Forged in Blood, Book 6 (coming in 2013)

Encrypted

Decrypted (coming in 2013)

SHORT STORIES

Ice Cracker II
(and other short stories)

The Assassin’s Curse

THE FLASH GOLD CHRONICLES

Flash Gold

Hunted

Peacemaker

THE GOBLIN BROTHERS ADVENTURES