The Moon's Shadow (9 page)

T
he man’s aura of power was tangible, evoking the myths of Ruby gods from five millennia ago. Jai was so startled, he nearly forgot his role as emperor. He had to catch himself from responding like an astonished boy.

When he recovered, Jai summoned up his most aloof Highton tone. “Are you done staring at me?”

The man stood motionless, his face unreadable. “How did you get in here?”

“I should ask that question of you.” Jai leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair, copying his grandfather’s regal pose. “You were intent on your work. Killing the Lock, I gather.”

Recognition flared in the man’s gaze. “You’re the one who spoke in the broadcast from the emperor’s palace.”

“You saw the broadcast?”

“From a distance.” With a quiet certainty, he said “I know you.”

Jai wished he had some of those nanomeds that controlled his sweat now. Did this man remember him from Edgewhirl—or did he recognize a deeper kinship? Even if this was his uncle, Jai couldn’t reveal himself. The Ruby Dynasty was about as likely to welcome a Highton into their midst as they were to eat machine parts. Nor did Jai have any reason to believe they would protect his secret.

He schooled his face into what he hoped was a convincing Highton arrogance. “I should think all settled space knows me by now.”

Kelric spoke in a low voice. “You’re a Qox.”

Although Jai laughed, it felt hollow. “Not
a
Qox.
The
Qox.”

It was a long moment before Kelric answered. “The emperor’s heir.” He had remarkable composure given his situation.

Jai thought of Corbal’s intent to make him a puppet emperor and his anger sparked. “I am no heir. I rule Eube. As Jaibriol the Third.”

“Jaibriol the Second had no heir.”

“Of course he did. Me.”

Kelric studied him with an unsettling concentration. “I know you from somewhere.”

Worried now, Jai tried to redirect him. “Perhaps you were dazzled by your time in the Lock, Lord Skolia.” Too late, he realized what he had said.
Lord Skolia.
His subconscious had recognized the truth; Kelric had already joined the Triad, becoming Imperator.

Kelric’s realization was so sharp, it pierced Jai’s mental barriers. “You’re Jay Rockworth. The Dawn Corps volunteer on Edgewhirl.”

Jai waved his hand, hoping it looked like a convincing dismissal. “This was all in the broadcast.”

“That you were with the Allieds?”

“That my parents hid me on Earth. The Allieds discovered it and traded me to Eube.” Faced with this man who might be his uncle and the Skolian Imperator, Jai couldn’t maintain his cold veneer. With wonder, he added, “I had no idea who you were, that day on Edgewhirl.”

Kelric exhaled. “Nor I, for you.”

Jai hesitated, afraid to discover his hopes were wrong. But he made himself ask. “Which one are you?”

“Which one?”

“In the Ruby Dynasty.” Jai held his breath.

Then the man said, “Kelricson Valdoria.”

Tears stung Jai’s eyes. Memories of his little brother flooded his mind, stirring his loneliness. “Del-Kelric.”

When Kelric’s recognition of the name jumped in his mind, Jai wanted to kick himself. He
had
to be more careful. He strove to recover his Highton tone. “Where did you come from? You’ve been dead for years.”

Kelric evaded the question. “Why were you with the Dawn Corps? It makes no sense. You expressed sympathy for the Ruby Dynasty.”

Jai shrugged. “Perhaps you remember what you wish.”

“No. And you look familiar. I don’t know why. But I
know
you.”

Jai longed to reveal himself, to seek the solace of his kinship with this man. He didn’t dare. But he could help his uncle escape. He stepped down from the throne and walked to Kelric. Laying his hands on the rail separating them, he regarded his uncle steadily. “Go. Now. While you can.”

“You would let me go?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Sorrow tugged at Jai. If anyone could help him ensure his parents hadn’t died in vain, it was Kelric. His hopes, fears, and longing all mixed into his voice. “Meet me at the peace table.”

“You want me to believe you wish peace, when you have a Lock and two Keys?”

Jai tilted his head. “What Lock? It no longer works. We had one Key. We gave him back.”

Kelric waited. Then he said, “Gave who back?”

“Your brother. Eldrin Valdoria.”

Kelric stiffened. “Don’t lie to me, Highton.”

“Why would I lie?”

“It’s what you Hightons do. Lie, manipulate, cheat.”

He heard the pain that underlay his uncle’s anger and knew Kelric had suffered his own trials.
Would that I could tell you the truth.
Jai hurt so much, surrounded by Aristos, cut off from his former life, unable to confide in anyone. He struggled to maintain his crumbling Aristo facade. “I’ve little interest in your imagined list of Highton ills.”

Kelric spoke slowly. “Eube would never give its Key to the Allieds. Not when you finally had a Lock. Nothing is worth it.”

“Not even me?”

Kelric went very still. “You, for Eldrin?”

“Yes.” Jai could sense his uncle’s mind even more now; Kelric wanted to believe his brother was in the custody of the Allied Worlds, but his hope fought with his conviction that the Aristos would never trade their Ruby psion.

“You are right,” Jai added dryly, thinking of his dismal showing as emperor. “It wasn’t a universally popular decision. But it is done. I am emperor and your brother is an Allied prisoner.”

Although Kelric controlled his expressions, Jai was picking up more from his uncle, including Kelric’s innate decency and stoicism. The older man’s sorrow for the family he had lost also filled his mind. He didn’t believe Eldrin was free; he thought Jai was taunting him while Razers waited to take him prisoner.

Troubled, Jai said, “I am alone.”

Kelric froze. “Why did you say that?”

Jai silently swore. He had become so caught up in their exchange, he hadn’t realized he was responding to his uncle’s thoughts. “You didn’t wonder if I had guards? I find that hard to believe.”

Kelric didn’t hide his disbelief. “And you just happened to come in—alone—when I was here.”

“Ah, well.” Jai realized he could only stretch the truth so far. “It would be a great coincidence, yes? But I knew you were here.”

“How?”

“Perhaps you could say I felt it.”

“Perhaps. I don’t believe it.”

“I suppose not.” Jai rubbed his chin, trying to think of another excuse. “I detected your entrance in the station web.” He felt as if time were rushing past them. The longer they spent here, the greater the chance his guards would come for him and find Kelric. “Imperator Skolia, meet me when we can discuss peace.”

“Why should I believe you want this?”

“Ask for something I can grant as proof of my intent.”

Kelric paused, thinking. Then he said, “There is a man. A Skolian. Jafe Maccar, captain of the
Corona.
” Anger sparked in Kelric’s mind. “After a battle at the space station Chrysalis, Maccar was sentenced to ten years in an ESComm prison. Unjustly.” His forthright gaze became a challenge. “Pardon him.”

Jai knew nothing about Maccar or why ESComm had sent him to prison. Nor did he know if he wielded enough authority to make a pardon stick. It would certainly alienate ESComm. But he could admit none of that to Kelric, so he said only, “I will consider it.”

Kelric’s expression clearly said he expected Jai to do nothing. It bothered Jai that his uncle thought his offer was false. He motioned upward, a well-known gesture meant to include all Eube. “It’s like a great thundering machine I hold by the barest thread. If I am to find a road to peace, I need your help.”

Kelric stared at him for a long moment. Gradually his wariness changed, becoming a quiet incredulity. Then he spoke in a low voice. “You’re a telepath.”

Jai froze, horrified. “No. I am what you see. Qox.”

“At what price?” Kelric asked. “What must you suffer to hide the truth?”

Jai couldn’t answer. It hurt too much. Instead he said, “Was anyone here when I came into the Lock? I never saw him.”

His uncle answered with an unbearable compassion. “Gods help you, son.”

“Go.” Jai felt as if he were breaking inside. “Now. While you can.”

Kelric stepped into the darkened corridor. He started to walk, his back to Jai, his steps measured, as if he expected an attack.

“Lord Skolia,” Jai said.

Kelric turned back, poised and tense. “Yes?”

“If you make it to Earth—” Jai lifted his hand as if to reach out to Kelric. Then he caught himself and lowered his arm. “Go see Admiral Seth Rockworth.”

The older man paused. “I will go.”

Then the Imperator continued down the corridor. As he strode along that avenue of the ages, Jai thought:

Gods’ speed, my uncle.

On Jai’s second day at the Lock, Colonel Muze took him to visit its operational command center. Officers crewed the consoles and lights flickered everywhere. Jai stood flanked by Muze and Robert, his hands clasped behind his back, watching a holoscreen that curved around the forward bulkhead showing the panorama of space. Stars glittered in a multitude of colors, and spumes of interstellar dust glowed, moving out of view as the station rotated. In the distance, another space station came into view.

“Such beauty,” Jai murmured.

“Beauty worth securing.” Muze paused. “I hope you found the security in the Lock to your approval last night.”

Jai inwardly swore. So. They knew about his visit. “It appeared adequate.”

“Adequate offers the opportunity for improvement.”

Jai couldn’t tell whether the colonel suspected him of treason or feared Jai had found his command lacking. In Muze’s presence, he had to fortify his barriers so much, his thoughts felt muffled. Rather than risk implicating himself, he said nothing. Stars wheeled past on the holoscreens.

A young lieutenant approached them and went down on one knee to Jai.

Embarrassed, Jai said, “Please rise.”

The lieutenant stood, his gaze averted. “You give me great honor by your presence, Esteemed Highness.”

Jai reddened. He couldn’t believe it when they said such things. Fortunately Muze saved him from having to think of a response. “You have a report?” the colonel asked.

The lieutenant saluted. “Yes, sir. A frigate is approaching the Lock.”

Muze frowned. “Does it have clearance?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Who is it?” Jai asked.

The lieutenant averted his gaze again. Jai wished they wouldn’t do that. Taskmakers weren’t required to look down, but they often did anyway. Many believed the nonsense promulgated by Highton propaganda, that the emperor was, if not an actual deity, then close to one.

From his parents, Jai had learned about the pantheon of gods and saints worshipped by the ancient peoples of the Ruby Empire, and by some Skolians and Eubians even in this modern age. His mother had also told him about the mythology of her father’s people. On Earth, Seth had introduced him to Christianity. After all that, it embarrassed him to have the Eubians treat him this way. He didn’t know how to respond, so he “solved” the problem by not reacting. Not only did it make no difference, his remote behavior seemed expected.

“We have a visitor, Your Highness,” the lieutenant said. “Corbal Xir, High Lord of the Xir Line.”

Ah, hell.
His escape from his cousin had just ended.

T
oo many Aristos came to dinner.

Admiral Xirad Kaliga, Joint Commander of ESComm, hosted the affair in his home to welcome Jai and Corbal to Sphinx Sector Rim Base. He invited the local Aristo aristocracy. His child-bride, Xirene, presided over the festivities, unceasing in her chatter.

Reclining at the high table, Jai felt so far out of his depth, he wondered that he didn’t drown. Xirene was the only person even close to his age, and she had years of experience in Eubian society. Even with his barriers at top strength, his mind reeled under the onslaught of so many Aristos. Their minds weighed on him until he thought his head would burst from the pressure.

The excruciating day never seemed to end. At least no one else mentioned his visit to the Lock. Jai prayed they hadn’t captured Kelric. If they had, they should have told him, but he didn’t know if they would. Maybe they were toying with the emperor they would soon accuse of treason. Or maybe they had no idea Kelric had been there. With his barriers up, Jai couldn’t discern if the Aristos even knew the Lock had died. It seemed impossible they could be oblivious to such a dramatic change, yet either no one had noticed or else they were more adept at pretense than he realized. For all he knew, they had been grilling him all day, in their convoluted discourse, and he just hadn’t known.

Twelve people sat at the high table: Corbal Xir; Xirad Kaliga and his wife Xirene; Jaibriol Raziquon, high lord of the Raziquon Line; and other Aristos Jai couldn’t remember. It overwhelmed him. He didn’t see how he could survive as the emperor if he couldn’t even make it through one dinner.

Providers served the food and poured wine. A pleasure girl leaned over to fill his goblet. Jai tried not to stare, but he couldn’t stop. Silver hair floated around her face in glossy curls. She had silver eyes too. Her skin was flawless, almost translucent, with a rosy blush. She wore nothing but a silver G-string, silver collar, silver wrist and ankle cuffs, a silver chain low on her hips, and silver rings circling her nipples. He couldn’t figure out how her incredible breasts stayed up that way with no support.

The girl straightened gracefully, holding the carafe. As she turned to a table behind her, Jai had an agreeable view of her backside. When she bent over the table, he had to struggle to keep his hands to himself.

“You,” a harsh voice said. “Silver hair.”

The provider froze. Then she turned to the table. Irked, Jai looked to see who had disturbed his appreciation of the girl. It was the man with his own name, Jaibriol Raziquon, who, as far as Jai could tell, did nothing but live as hedonistic a life as possible, soaking in his own riches and that of his similarly wealthy companions.

Raziquon was watching the silver girl with malice. “What, do you plot against His Magnificent Highness?”

Spots of red flushed her cheeks. “I—I don’t know what you mean.”

Neither do I,
Jai thought. What was Raziquon about?

Unexpectedly, Corbal answered. Reclining in a lounger on Jai’s left, he spoke coldly to the girl. “Perhaps you put an extra draught in his Highness’s drink, eh?”

Her face paled. “Never, most esteemed sir. Never, I swear it. I swear.” She dropped to her knees next to Jai and bowed her head. “Please,” she whispered.

What the hell?
It mortified Jai to have her kneel that way. She was a strong enough psion that he caught hints of her mind even through his defenses. She had no intention of causing harm; she had been distracted by how pleasing she found his appearance and had forgotten to give his drink to his food testers. He was one of the few Hightons who had no internal systems to protect him against poison; he had resisted them, disquieted by the idea of more implants in his body, but now he had second thoughts.

As the girl trembled, Jai started to offer his hand to help her stand. He would have enjoyed knowing she thought him handsome if Raziquon hadn’t ruined it by bullying her over the wine. He knew Corbal was staring at him, trying to attract his attention, and Jai was sure his cousin wanted him to ignore the provider, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to leave her shaking on the floor.

“We will give you a chance at redemption, provider.” Raziquon’s eagerness drew everyone’s attention before they noticed Jai’s unusual behavior. Cruelty edged the lord’s voice. “You may drink the wine yourself.”

Jai frowned. He hadn’t liked Raziquon from the start and he had no intention of letting any Highton give orders for him, let alone this one. He raised an eyebrow. “You would speak for me, Lord Raziquon?” He leaned back in his lounger. “Perhaps
you
should drink it.”

The other Aristos, who had been watching with amusement, suddenly stopped smiling. A woman at the end of the table abruptly set down her goblet, and the man next to Raziquon, an elder lord of the Blue-Point Diamond Line, moved discreetly, putting more space between Raziquon and himself.

Concentrating, Jai tried to probe Raziquon’s mind. His head throbbed, and he couldn’t lower his barriers among so many Hightons, so his impressions were muffled. But he did pick up a bit, enough to sense that the other man genuinely feared the wine did carry a poison, one that even the protections in his body might not neutralize. Stunned, Jai realized he might have just condemned Raziquon to death. He couldn’t back down; it could be a potentially deadly admission of weakness.

Raziquon reached slowly across the table and picked up Jai’s goblet. Then he took a swallow. Watching him, Jai felt ill, remembering the bird in Corbal’s office.

After a moment, Raziquon set the goblet on the table. His expression had a hard edge now, one directed toward Eube’s emperor.

Jai wished he could end this dinner. But he had no choice. He spoke lazily to Raziquon. “You look well.” It relieved him more than he would ever admit. The longer Raziquon continued to look that way, the less likely it was that the wine had been poisoned.

Raziquon answered with cold formality. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

The other Aristos at the table remained silent, their faces guarded. Jai sensed they were waiting to see what he would do about the provider. He had no idea. As much as he resented his dependence on Corbal, he needed his cousin’s crafty experience. Jai turned to him. “Perhaps you have a suggestion for this lovely silver girl, Cousin.”

Corbal was impassive. “I would never presume to speak for Your Highness.”

Jai waved his hand. “I give you leave. Entertain me.”

Corbal spoke quietly. “Perhaps she needs to provide for the emperor she would betray.”

Damn.
He should have seen that coming. They expected him to appease their merciless conception of right and wrong, to make her suffer for their entertainment. Even through his barriers, he felt the girl’s terror. She wondered if she would survive the night. It horrified him.

Jai felt drained, unable to keep this up. Good and evil were backward here. He had been a fool to think he could bring peace to Eube and Skolia; he would be lucky to stay alive. Someday he could end up kneeling as the provider did now, his life made into hell.

Corbal spoke to a server. “Clear the table.”

At first Jai didn’t understand. Then he realized Corbal wanted the table cleared for whatever they intended to do to the provider. As servers removed the remnants of the meal, Jai clenched his jaw. He had requested an opinion, nothing more. He didn’t know how to avoid alienating his so-called peers, but he had no intention of letting them torture the silver girl.

In a lounger on Jai’s other side, Xirene Kaliga sighed. Distracted, he turned to her, and she gave him a sympathetic look. “These providers,” she said. “They are so inept. I mean, really, not testing your wine, I
never
heard of such foolishness. Have you? I never have. Not even when my friend Zarla—well, you don’t know Zarla, she wasn’t invited tonight—but I tell you, never have I seen such a silly mistake.” She flipped her hand at toward the silver girl. “I mean,
really.
I
never.
”

Jai stared at her, awed by her ability to produce so many words and say so little. He had no idea how to answer, but it didn’t matter. Xirene continued on, oblivious to the aghast stare of her husband, the admiral.

“When I have problems with my providers,” she confided to Jai, “I send them to bed without their dinner.” She laughed as if she had made a hilarious joke.

Admiral Kaliga rubbed his eyes. “Xirene.”

Jai had had enough. He motioned to one of his Razers, who stood by the wall, looming and silent. The man came to the table and bowed. Technically, Razers were supposed to kneel like everyone else who wasn’t an Aristo, but Jai had one trait in common with his Qox predecessors; he preferred his bodyguards at their most alert, not on their knees.

Jai indicated the silver girl. “Take her to my rooms.”

The Razer nodded. When he touched the girl, she rose, her gaze averted, and went with the guard, walking so softly, she made no sound. Jai turned back to the table to see Kaliga watching his wife with a sour look.

“What?” Xirene pouted at her husband. “It’s not my fault she’s gone. You spend too much time with her anyway.” She didn’t seem the least embarrassed to have revealed an intimate detail of her husband’s life to half the Aristo population of the SSRB.

Jai suppressed his smile. Who would have thought it, that the notorious Xirad Kaliga, Joint Commander of the greatest military ever known, couldn’t handle his teenage bride? So this was one of the Highton marriages arranged to maintain the “everlasting glory” of Eube. No wonder the Aristos had so many problems.

He became aware of Raziquon watching him, his gaze like ice. Even through his mental defenses, Jai caught the lord’s vivid thought: his internal systems had determined that the wine wasn’t poisoned. Jai lifted his controversial goblet and took a long swallow of the wine. For all its superb quality, it might as well have been engine fuel for all that he enjoyed the taste.

The other Aristos followed his lead and drank, their decided lack of enthusiasm evident only in their minds, but intense enough from so many of them that it came through his fortified shields. When Kaliga said, “To the continued health of His Esteemed Magnificence,” Jai felt his sarcasm.

I’m in trouble,
Jai thought.

“I can’t decide whether you are phenomenally clever,” Corbal said, “or phenomenally stupid.”

Jai lay back in a pile of pillows on the floor of the study, an unfurnished room with sliding screens for walls, an ivory carpet, and an antique lamp in the corner. He and Corbal had retired here after dinner, though to Jai it felt more like an escape. Corbal’s people declared the room clean of monitors. Although Jai had reasonable faith in their ability to clean them out, he could never be sure.

Sprawled among the pillows, he stretched his legs across the carpet. “That dinner was interminable.”

Corbal slid open a screen and stood gazing out at the garden outside, where a bridge arched over a burbling creek. Even the murmur of water didn’t soothe Jai.

“You antagonized Kaliga’s guests,” Corbal said.

“Those people have problems.”

Corbal glanced at him. “By their standards, you are the one with problems.”

Jai closed his eyes. “I don’t care.”

“You should.”

“I’m too tired to care.”

“You made an enemy of Raziquon.”

“That statement implies people exist who aren’t his enemy.” Jai opened his eyes. “That viper actually has friends?”

Corbal frowned. “It would behoove an emperor to act with less sarcasm.”

Jai thought of what Kaliga’s guests had wanted to do to the silver girl. “It would behoove your peers to act more like human beings.”

“Jaibriol.” Corbal exhaled. “You must adapt better than this.”

“Well, you’re certainly direct tonight.” It was a relief; the circuitous discourse that Hightons favored gave him a headache.

“If it takes rudeness on my part to make you conform,” Corbal said, “so be it.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t conform.”

Corbal scowled at him. “You sulk like a teenage boy.”

“What a coincidence. I am a teenage boy.”

“You don’t have that luxury.”

Jai crossed his arms. “Then let me make my own decisions.”

“Such as sneaking off to the Lock?”

So. They finally came down to the real reason for Corbal’s visit. Maybe he shouldn’t wish for directness after all. As long as Corbal kept his inquiries oblique, Jai could obliquely evade them. Dryly he said, “It would behoove the emperor’s relatives not to spy on the emperor.”

“Don’t be crass, Jaibriol.”

“What, now I’m just Jaibriol? No ‘Your Everlastingly Marvelosio Magnificence’?”

Corbal walked over to him. Although he knelt on one knee, his pose had no trace of humility. “You are going to get yourself killed.”

Jai met his gaze. “By whom? Raziquon? Or you?”

“Without me, you wouldn’t survive two days.”

“And with you?” Jai tried to maintain his veneer of unconcern, but his facade was cracking. “If I’m lucky, I’ll make it three days.” He despised himself for the fear and loneliness he heard in his voice.

Corbal sat down, one leg bent, his elbow resting on his knee. “Did you really think coming to the Lock would help?”

Jai sat up, uneasy with Corbal’s greater height. He hated not knowing how much the older man had guessed about him. He caught only vague impressions from Corbal’s guarded mind, and he couldn’t delve any deeper without collapsing his own mental defenses. Nor did it work when he tried to draw Corbal into a conversation that might make the Xir lord let slip information. His cousin was too crafty and too adept at deciphering nuances of gesture, word, and expression. Jai could end up revealing himself to Corbal instead of the reverse.

“The Lock didn’t look like much,” Jai said.

“According to Colonel Muze, you didn’t look at much.”

“There wasn’t much to see.”

Corbal studied his face. “One might find it hard to observe anything if one sits in a chair the whole time.”

That gave Jai pause. It sounded like the monitors had registered nothing except him sitting. He wondered why the Lock would hide his conversation with Kelric. Easy answer: it wanted to protect its Keys. But its sentience was too alien to fathom; it might find no significance in human motivations. Even more eerie, the Lock had died while he was in the chamber, but its protection had apparently extended beyond its demise.