He watched the varied emotions play across her face—shock, mortification, and finally resignation to the truth of it.
“If this is true, it would explain why he had my guards killed,” she whispered and her eyes lifted to his. “I-I need proof, Comron, conclusive proof that my father is a lying, conniving monster. No, I need to hear this from him!”
He gripped her arm. “A blood test will give you all the conclusive proof you need. But you can’t go to Larrs, Vaush. He means to crush Nethic and, with you on the throne, he’ll finally have the power to do so.”
“Me on the throne? No, no, no, I don’t want any part of this.” Her hands were shaking when she raked them through her hair. “I feel like I’m in the middle of some horrible nightmare. I ….” she looked at him. “I need solid proof if I’m ever going to start making sense of any of this.”
His heart pounded wildly as he watched her. She was still too much in shock to inquire as to how he’d come by this information or for how long he’d known the truth. I must deliver her to Novoxos before everything unravels.
“We’ll get you the proof. Please, hand me my clothes,” he said as he tried to climb out of bed to get dressed.
“Com, you’re in no condition to deal with this,” she said, gently urging him back into bed. “I know how to draw my own blood, and I can use your ship’s computer to run a match against the imperial medical database.” She rose from the bed and frowned. “I’ve always wondered why an elitist such as Larrs Bastionli would deign to take in his illegitimate child, give her his name, and raise her alongside his sanctioned heirs.”
Her fixation on Larrs disturbed him. Would she attempt to contact him once aboard the transport? “Vaush, wait for me.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and wiped Monne Beichmore’s healing patches away.
“What are you doing?” she objected. “I can manage this on my own. Please get back into bed.”
“No, I’m coming with you.” He stood unsteadily, clad only in his underpants. “My clothes, please.” His heart almost stopped as she stared back at him with a look of dismay in her eyes.
“I still can’t believe your father would do something so horrible to you,” she said, gesturing at the hideous scars. “All of that fury and hatred poured out on you was in vain if I’m not Bastionli.” She headed toward the wardrobe to retrieve his clothing.
He squeezed his eyes shut and his head began to throb. Though lies and deceit had become commonplace in his business dealings, he couldn’t let it exist between them. If he had any hope of regaining her trust, it was time to completely level with her.
“Larrs will be so disappointed when he discovers that I want nothing to do with his dreams of imperial grandeur,” she said, handing him his clothing. “I really wish you’d get some rest, darling. I can handle this.”
He groaned within at the prospect of destroying her trust and their innocence. We will weather the storm. Just tell her!
He took a deep breath—
“Besides, you’re not the one who seems to be in need of convincing. It’s as if you already …,” her voice trailed off.
His stomach clenched when he saw the dreaded question in her eyes and the distinct look of shattered faith.
“Vaush, I have been wanting to—”
“When did you learn of this?”
“I was afraid that—”
“When, damn it!”
“About a week ago.”
“A week?” Her eyes widened. “Then you knew when you ….” Her brow furrowed and her mouth turned down as if she were about to cry and suddenly the south wing cellar torture seemed preferable to this moment.
“How could I have been so stupid? You weren’t proposing to me, you were proposing to House Hrollaugr.”
“That’s not true.”
“You didn’t tell me all of this before because you wanted to secure your foothold in House Hrollaugr, get your hooks in really deep.”
“No, you know that’s not—”
“What do I know? The man I believed was my father has been lying to me for the last twenty-four years and now I discover that my husband’s proposal was predicated upon those same lies!” He reached for her but she slapped his hand away. “No, don’t touch me! You lied and told me we had to marry so quickly to break your betrothal and I, like an idiot, believed you. You must have thought I was such a naïve little twit marrying you after only five days together!” She buried her face in her hands.
He shook his head emphatically. “No, Vaush, those five days were all we needed to know that we were meant for each other and that our love—”
Vaush slapped him smartly across the face and screamed, “Shut up! I don’t want to hear any more of your lies. You took advantage of my feelings for you and parleyed them into a place in Hrollaugr history.” She punched his chest and kept swinging. “Liar! You made me love you. I would have done anything for you, given you anything!”
He grabbed her by the arms and shook her into silence. “Listen to me! I didn’t tell you the truth because I was afraid of losing you once the world discovered who you were. And if you were to be enthroned under the Bastionli banner, Larrs wouldn’t waste one second raising the imperial army against Nethic to destroy her for good. Can’t you see? I couldn’t leave that up to chance. I couldn’t risk letting you return to Larrs if that meant the end for Nethic and the end for us.”
In her soft hazel eyes, he could see the internal struggle tearing her apart. She desperately wanted to believe him, needed to believe him, but she had been so profoundly betrayed by everyone closest to her. She hardly knew who or what to trust.
“Vaush … trust what you felt when we were lying in each other’s arms, blending our souls into one. That was real, constant, and eternal.”
He saw the edge in her hazel eyes soften. He could feel his words comforting her, easing her mind. Though doubt lingered, at least she was listening and giving credence to his version of the truth.
Abruptly, she turned away and smoothed her hands over her face. “I need time to process all of this. I have so many questions and now this damned war.”
“Vaush, the only way to end this war is to take you before the proper authorities on Novoxos. They must learn of your existence, so that you can take your rightful place.”
She cut him a look. “As I stated before, I don’t want any part of Novoxos or the Royal Hrollaugr Legacy. I just want to live the life that I already had. Devil take the rest of it.”
“And I would rejoice to live that life with you, but it’s not that simple, Vaush. Thalonius means to kill you and won’t stop hunting you until he does.”
“What?” she asked, deeply distraught.
“As long as you draw breath, you are a threat to him. House Van Laven was to be a part of the conspiracy to do away with you since, second to Thalonius, we had the most to lose by your enthronement.”
“Or the most to gain considering your rather fortuitous marriage to me,” she said tersely and gestured at his scars. “Did the horrific beating take place before or after Crausin learned of my true lineage?”
He saw where this particular line of reasoning was leading. “Vaush, my father wants absolutely nothing to do with you, Bastionli or not.” He stretched his arms out so she could have a good look at his mutilated body. “This was my reward for refusing to surrender your location to him. My God, he nearly castrated me in hopes of keeping us apart for good.”
Vaush cupped her hands to her mouth as she glanced downward.
“I was spared that damning humiliation when Larrs showed up bombarding the place with a third of the Ti-Larosian fleet. I used the chaos as cover to escape.” The room suddenly swayed before him and he reached for the bed to sit down.
He saw the deep concern in her eyes as she advanced toward him but then stopped short. “You should stay here and rest. I’m going to run the blood test and then decide my next move.”
“Vaush, wait.”
“No!” she said sharply. ??
?I need to do this on my own.” She gave him a searing look that told him his deceit would not be easily forgotten.
She hurried out of the room without another word.
“Damn it!” Comron said as he got up and began to dress.
CHAPTER 44
Vaush sat alone in the cockpit of the Nethicaen transport. The only illumination came from the view screen, upon which was the face of the man she’d known as father for the past twenty-five years. The DNA results were conclusive. She was the biological offspring of Emperor Sorren Hrollaugr and heir to his throne. Having only minutes before Comron caught up with her, she had no choice but to be direct.
“I know the truth, Father,” she began in a frosty tone.
“Vaush, where are you? Give me your coordinates, dear child,” Larrs said. Few would have detected the frantic pitch in his voice.
“I’m the late emperor’s daughter, my mother was the Imperial Court Translator, Skylar Payce Erlacher. What I don’t know is what happened to my mother and how I came to be in your care. I need answers now.”
The look of astonishment on his face was revealing, but was quickly displaced by resolution.
“Where exactly are you, darling?” he repeatedly calmly, though his eyes burned with barely contained enmity. “I know you’re somewhere with the Nethicaens, the dirty cocksuckers,” he muttered under his breath. “But all will be forgiven if you just come home.”
But will I forgive you? “What happened to my mother?”
“All of this can be discussed at length once you’re safely home.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to Skylar Payce Erlacher.”
His dark eyes glistened with fury. “Now you listen—” he broke off, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I-I’m sorry, I’ve been under a great deal of pressure of late. Regarding your mother, I’m afraid she died during childbirth.”
“Come now, Father, you had access to the best medical science in the system and yet you expect me to believe that my mother died during a standard delivery?”
“There were complications, but I couldn’t send her to a proper medical facility when we were trying to conceal her identity from some very powerful enemies. We provided her with the best care possible at Gosselton Heights.”
Vaush closed her eyes. Was every man in her life lying through their teeth to her? Gosselton Heights had a standing infirmary and Larrs could have had the best physicians on hand when Skylar went into labor. If her mother died during childbirth, it was only because he intentionally withheld vital care from her. It was as good as murder.
“Listen to me carefully, my dear,” Larrs said, trying his best to play the part of the concerned father. “You are in very grave danger. The same people who wanted you dead twenty-five years ago want you dead now. I will deliver you safely to Novoxos under a full military escort. But time is running out. Give me your coordinates.”
“I’m afraid your price for passage may be more than I’m willing to pay. Perhaps it would be best if I found my own way to Novoxos.”
He gave her a look loaded with scorn and indignation. “You’d be dead before the day was out.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“With who? That festering shite-hole, Van Laven?”
She had to bite her tongue to keep from telling him that she was now married to the festering shite-hole in question. She checked her chronometer, she had seventy seconds before she’d lose the ability to scramble her signal.
“Seven hells! Don’t tell me you’re fool enough to believe he loves you. He’s only cocking you to get close to the throne.”
“Yes, well it feels a hell of a lot better than what you’ve been doing to me these past twenty-five years.” She turned at the sound of hurried footsteps and found Comron frantically rushing toward her.
“What in the devil are you doing?” Comron yelled as he caught sight of Larrs face on the com-screen.
Larrs saw him too. “Give me the god-dammed coordinates, Vaush. You owe this to us!”
Comron grabbed her arm. “Vaush, please, don’t do this!”
“He is the reason your sister and her family are all being held captive and tortured,” Larrs accused.
Vaush’s head felt like it was splitting. “Hellena? You’re lying, you’re just trying to manipulate me.”
“See for yourself!” Larrs said waving his hand over the controls. A visual of Vaush’s older sister Hellena, her husband and two crying children were all bound and gagged in some dingy-looking warehouse facility. The time stamp indicated the visual was obtained four hours ago.
“Oh my God,” she said looking at Comron. “Did you know anything about this?”
“No, but look at the guards’ uniforms,” he said, pointing at the screen. “The gold lion sigil means they are Thalonius’ men, not ours.”
“But they were abducted in the hope of gaining knowledge of your whereabouts. Vaush …,” Larrs entreated. “If you don’t come home with me now, they’re going to kill your sister and her family.”
“Damn it!” Vaush screamed and shot up from the pilot’s seat. “What guarantee do I have that they won’t kill them anyway out of spite or anger? Just like you killed my guards!”
“What other choice do you have?” Larrs gestured at Comron with a full look of revulsion in his eyes. “This mud-crag’s father is hell bent on finding him and murdering you. Thalonius’ forces are scouring the sector hunting you down for the kill. I’m the only one willing and able to provide you safe passage to Novoxos.”
Vaush muted the communications and turned to Comron. “Is that a fair assessment? Is Larrs the only chance of reaching Novoxos alive?”
The look of angst and regret in his green eyes was painful. “You know it’s not an option for me. If you go with Larrs … we will never see each other again and you’ll be signing Nethic’s death warrant.”
“What other choice do we have against all those enemies hunting us?” Vaush said anxiously. Though she’d never give her consent for Larrs to attack Nethic, she knew that his hatred would drive him to use the imperial might and influence to ruin Nethic and he’d likely make Nethic pay dearly if Comron continued to pursue Vaush.
“Do you still love me, Vaush?” Comron asked, looking as if his heart were bleeding.
As she gazed upon him, she tried to imagine a different life, one that did not include Comron Van Laven. She winced at the dreary gray coldness of the vision. Though she was still angry at him for withholding the truth about her parentage, she understood his fear, especially knowing intimately the depths of Larrs’ hatred for all things Van Laven.
“I told you before,” her expression was stern, her tone equally so, “my love for you is constant.”
His chest heaved with relief. “Then cut off the communication with Larrs. We will make our own way to Novoxos.”
“On our own?” she asked with grave skepticism.
“I can’t go back to a life without you, nor can I leave Nethic vulnerable to Larrs’ attack. We currently have the advantage since they have no idea where we are. As long as we stay one step ahead of them, there’s a chance we can outrun them to Novoxos.”
Vaush considered the odds of that and became disheartened, until she thought about their time on Patheis and all the battles they fought to stay alive. If they could survive those odds, maybe Comron was right. Wasn’t a future together worth fighting for?
But there was still one more matter.
Her hazel eyes were fierce with the intensity. “You claim to love me with an eternal passion.”
He nodded but held his silence.
She approached him and stared him dead in the eyes. “I have no use for liars in my life, Comron. Do it again and we are through. Do I make myself clear?”
He didn’t flinch from her gaze or shrink back from her demand. “It will never happen again,” he answered in a clipped tone.
“Good,” she turned back to the com panel and unmuted the channel
. “Larrs, you would do well to focus your attention on saving Hellena and her family. As for me,” she glanced at Comron, “I found my own ride to Novoxos.” With that, she switched off the link.
CHAPTER 45
Comron drew Vaush’s attention over to the holographic star chart glowing yellow against a shimmering black field. He pointed at a blue pulsing light. “Here we are.” He trailed his finger across to the left a ways. “There’s Novoxos. Even at top speed, we’re three days out.” He added rather gravely, “I’d say we have a couple of hours before Larrs descrambles our transmission coordinates or Crausin pulls the logs of the missing Nethicaen transport. Once they have the data, know that Thalonius will as well.”
Vaush’s mouth set sternly. “They don’t want me on the throne, and I don’t want it. If I could make them understand this, I’d no longer be perceived as a threat.”
“Vaush, as the legal heir, you will always be a threat to Thalonius. Even if you abdicate your position now, he fears that at some point in the future a rival power might persuade you to march on Novoxos under their banner.”
She drew a deep breath and sighed heavily. “Yes, because that’s always been my life’s ambition to wield the power of a vast empire.”
He raised a finger, “That brings us to yet another point, think about what your life’s work has been. If the masses ever learned that their true sovereign is a benevolent, selfless champion of the downtrodden who rejects her lavish lifestyle and privilege in favor of rolling up her sleeves to help them build their lives, they would thrust you upon the throne, begging you to rule over them.” He inclined his head at her. “Don’t think Thalonius isn’t aware of this or how exceedingly unpopular he is with the proletariat.”
She leaned forward, elbows on table. “Well, if I’m the rightful heir, why can’t I call on the imperial armed forces for a safe escort to Novoxos?”