“Because they’re currently under Thalonius’ control and will remain so until you are indisputably proven to be Sorren’s heir. Besides, they are still a day’s travel away when our enemies are only minutes.”
“Not the regional regiments. What about the local authorities?”
“If we seek their help, we run the risk of exposing ourselves to Thalonius’ agents. With the enormous bounty he’ll place on your head, we’ll be hard pressed to find a clean agency that isn’t willing to turn us over to Thalonius, Nethic, or Ti-Laros.”
“We might as well be at hell’s gates,” she said irritably. “Is there nothing that we can do?”
“We stay the course, alerting no one to our whereabouts. They may know our destination, but there are numerous routes to get there. With any luck, we’ll make it to Novoxos before they find us.”
She looked incredulously at him. “You realize that if they find me, they’ll likely kill you too for the part you’re playing in all this. You have a very rich and fulfilling life waiting for you back on Nethic. Are you certain this is where you want to be?”
A pensive expression fell over his face. “It’s the only place for me. Whether it be in the heights of heaven or the pits of hell, I choose to faithfully remain at your side.”
The soft glow in her hazel eyes and her furtive smile was his reward. But then the look gave way to uncertainty and distrust. Whereas his words of endearment once delighted her beyond measure, they now only reminded her of the lies he’d told. The realization hurt far worse than he imagined it could. Would she ever open her heart to him again? Had his great lie cost him everything?
“I know you love me, Comron,” she said as she gazed at the shimmering star field. “I’ve known that since Patheis.”
He stared intently at her, terrified and anxious for her next words.
“And I know that you tried to break your betrothal long before you knew I was Hrollaugr.”
His brow furrowed. “H-how did you know?”
“House Eskridge nearly burst an organ over the affront to Spira, and they made their feelings known to close associates who … talk to my father. He discussed it over dinner a week after we returned from Patheis. That’s when I knew it was real, that you meant every incredible word you said to me. I was scared, but never in my life had I felt so profoundly loved.”
He listened and waited, despite this indisputable proof of his love, something in her had changed, the way she viewed him had changed.
“Everything was perfect, and I would’ve believed anything you told me, because you’d kept your word about breaking the betrothal.”
The ache inside began to grow once he realized what he had destroyed.
“When you lied so effortlessly about something so monumental …,” she shook her head slowly. “I forgive you, but it’s like forgiving someone after an infidelity—the level of trust you once had is gone.”
And there it was—the gulf between them—threatening to never be bridged, all because he tried to balance the needs of Nethic with his personal needs. Nethic might prevail and prosper under her reign, but none of it would feel like a triumph if he lost Vaush.
“The last thing I ever wanted to do was destroy your faith in me. I agonized over it and started to tell you so many times. If there had been any other way to avoid this and protect Nethic, I would have done it.”
Her expression remained inscrutable. She walked over to a cabin chair and lowered herself into it. “I hate like hell that this has happened,” she said. “But honestly, if I’d been in your position I don’t know that I would have handled it any differently. Nonetheless, the damage is done.”
He remained at the holographic star-chart and waited for her to work it through and make peace with what he’d done.
She stared at the Nethicaen heirloom ring on her finger. “Technically, I suppose you didn’t lie … marrying you did negate your betrothal contract to Spira. Your true transgression was a lie of omission, which is deception and equally reprehensible.” She rubbed her neck as if she was tired, and he resisted the urge to go to her. She hated the gulf between them as much as he did and she was trying her best to close it. Now was not the time to attempt to influence or persuade her, she had to get there on her own.
“I’m convinced that your love for me is genuine. So what this boils down to is you withheld critical information from me while pressuring me to make a very important decision.” She cast him a look of chastisement, and he lowered his eyes in repentance. “But you did it for noble reasons. I can’t condemn you for wanting to secure your world’s future. However, the trust works both ways. You must completely open your heart to me and trust me with the truth from now on.”
Unable to withhold himself any longer, he went to Vaush, fell at her knees, and hugged her. He could feel her emotionally reaching out for him. The gulf had been bridged, and she invited him out of the cold and back into her heart where it was warm, and he was truly loved.
She pulled back and gazed adoringly at him. “If they don’t capture us and I am crowned empress … you will rule at my side as my husbandly consort.” Her hazel eyes reflected the tender warmth she felt in that moment. “And, after some time, I will bear your children and they will sit upon the imperial throne after me. Be a good and faithful husband to me, Comron, and that will be your reward.”
He cradled her face in his hands. “No … you are my reward,” he said and kissed her tenderly. All of the uncertainty, all of the obstacles, and all of the pain from Crausin’s whip melted away in his immense joy. He’d taken the greatest gamble of his life and won larger than he ever imagined possible. He held her tightly and whispered in her ear. “As long as I live, I will be your most faithful and devoted servant. No man will ever love you the way I do.”
CHAPTER 46
“What you’re implying suggests that you’ve forgotten that killing the girl is the primary objective,” Crausin said in his private quarters aboard the Retribution, the Nethicaen flagship and gem of its naval fleet. “But you will leave Comron to me.”
Count Recaban’s face loomed large on the holographic screen. “Oh, I’m afraid I’ve placed a rather sizeable bounty on your boy’s head, my dear Duke. Whether he’s brought in dead or alive makes no difference, I’ll pay all the same.”
“Whatever is done to him will be done to you,” Crausin replied in an ominous tone.
“We’re not on Nethic. Your threats hold no sway here,” Recaban smiled disingenuously. “That miserable little shite botched my operation, costing me millions and the favor of Thalonius. If I do find your son alive, a quick death would be a godsend compared to what I plan to do to him.”
Crausin rose up with shoulders squared as he glared at the screen. “Remember, I know about all of your hidden operations, Recaban. I’ll go straight to the authorities and lift the lid off every sleazy business you’re running. Do you have any idea how many charges of racketeering you’ll be brought up on? You’ll go to prison for so long your grandchildren will be gray old men before you taste freedom again.” Crausin lifted his chin, casting Recaban a look of complete disdain. “I imagine those prison yards will be filled with your old acquaintances all too eager to greet you.”
Recaban clenched his jaw and cracked his knuckles. “It would be worth it to wipe the smug look off that face of yours,” he growled. “You’d better hope that trifling naval fleet of yours is swifter than all others, because if Thalonius’ men find him first, there will be nothing you can do to save your precious pet.”
Crausin’s mouth clamped shut as he gripped the back of his chair. He had mobilized half the Nethicaen naval forces to go in search of Comron and to kill the girl. Nothing short of killing her would reverse the unsavory position Comron had placed them in. If he could offer the girl’s head as a peace offering to Thalonius, perhaps Nethic would be spared the new emperor’s wrath. But Recaban spoke the truth. If Thalonius found them first, Comron would be lost to him forever.
“You will f
ind him and bring him to me alive. In return, I will transfer one billion credits to the account of your choice and show you far more clever ways to launder your ill-gotten gains. Furthermore ….” he closed his eyes a moment, unable to believe he was about to utter his next words but ,damn it, Comron’s life was at stake. “Bring my son to me alive and House Van Laven will personally sponsor your introduction into good society. I swear it.”
Recaban’s violet eyes flickered, and he wiped absently at the corner of his mouth as if salivating at the lucrative proposition. “It would be only fitting since you cost me an invitation to the Imperial Lion Palace.” But then his expression hardened. “I will let you know my answer after I’ve found him.”
CHAPTER 47
“How could you have let this happen?” griped Thalonius’ wife, a stately woman whose legendary beauty had faded but not vanished altogether. “For nearly thirty years I have stood by your side waiting for the day of your enthronement, only to have it snatched away by some low-bred bastard of your father’s.”
Supreme Prince Thalonius Hrollaugr gave his wife a look of incredulity. “God’s blood, Deidra, if she were merely a bastard we’d have nothing to worry about, now would we?” At seventy-six years of age, he was still of remarkable health and regal bearing. His flaxen hair had turned gray upon his head and full beard. His dark blue eyes had lost some of their luster; his tall broad shouldered frame was not as straight as it had once been. Still, he possessed the commanding presence befitting the firstborn of the late emperor, and bore a strong resemblance to his father, with a high forehead, narrow penetrating eyes, wide cheekbones, and a slender nose set above a stern mouth.
“Against all counsel, your father flaunted convention and married that commoner, a mongrel no less,” said Georgin, an older, distant cousin who had patiently bided his time to become the new high chancellor to the emperor. “Then he had the temerity to elevate her above your mother. It was scandalous! Now we’re left to deal with the fallout of his inexplicable self-indulgence.”
“Lord Georgin is absolutely correct,” Deidra said, rubbing her temples. “Sorren’s acts were obviously the product of derangement or senility. His legal will should be stricken down and rendered void.”
Thalonius’ brow furrowed low. “That would take a rather protracted act of parliament, and there is no guarantee that they would rule in our favor.” When Deidra scoffed, Thalonius looked at her. “Recall that I have many powerful enemies in the parliament who would relish the opportunity to unseat me.”
“In favor of handing the imperial crown to some low-bred usurper?” Georgin grumbled. “Preposterous.”
Thalonius gazed at the image of Vaush Bastionli upon the view screen. “This girl has just as much Hrollaugr blood running through her veins as I do and has the preeminent legal claim to the throne. That’s all that will matter to my enemies.” He moved away from them and approached the large plate-glass windows overlooking the East Garden of the Lion Palace. “No, we must proceed with our own solution.”
“Preferably one that does not involve that wharf rat Recaban or the Nethicaens,” said Deidra. “Such incompetent fools the lot of them! How could they let the girl slip through their fingers?”
“Fools?” Thalonius replied, “Or ambitious upstarts?”
Deidra snorted at the implication. “They’re from the minor houses. Surely, they wouldn’t dare reach so high.”
Thalonius leaned his shoulder against the window. “Consider all that they nearly accomplished during the reign of Emperor Sellusion.”
“What in the name of the blessed hosts are you talking about?” Deidra asked in a peevish tone.
Lord Georgin turned to her. “Nethic, alongside Ti-Laros, stopped Sellusion’s expansion campaign dead in its tracks.”
Deidra frowned. “But they are part of the empire.”
“Because Sellusion succeeded in dividing the two powerful allies,” Thalonius answered. “Only then did he conquer that sector.”
Lord Georgin nodded. “Then Sellusion proceeded to pound Nethic into the ground so that they might serve as an object lesson to any who might seek to oppose him.”
“And yet, over time,” Thalonius added, “Nethic managed to emerge from the rubble to become a formidable banking house most notably under the reign of its current ruler, the Duke of Nethic, Crausin Van Laven.” Thalonius levelled them with a cold stare. “Perhaps the clever bastard has revenge in mind. What better way to serve his sweet revenge than to partner with his former ally—House Bastionli. Perhaps it was the plan from the very beginning.”
Deidra’s narrow brows pinched together. “I don’t like the sound of this.” She crossed the room to her husband. “Your first act as emperor should be to finish what Sellusion started.”
Lord Georgin joined them. “The word is that while pretending to support us, Van Laven travels with the girl, seeking to present her to Novoxos, which would certainly support your hypothesis.” He glanced at Deidra. “They are a resilient, crafty lot with an enormous axe to grind. Hardly the incompetent fools that you would have them be.”
Thalonius slammed his fist down on the windowsill. “I am Sorren’s firstborn. I have spent my entire life preparing to take the reins of this empire. I will not be undone by this girl or Van Laven!” He glared at Georgin. “Assemble the third regiment as reinforcements to the gold brigade. When they’re through with the girl, I’ll send them on to Nethic to teach them a lesson they’ll never forget.”
CHAPTER 48
“By the gates! They know,” Comron said from within the cockpit of the transport. “I thought that we’d have more time.”
Vaush emerged from the cabin. “Three hours is all the lead we get?”
Comron nodded, never taking his eyes off the screen. “Recaban has placed a bounty on both our heads,” he said, listening to the message being broadcast along the network. “It’s fifty million credits.” He glanced at her. “They’ll be crawling out of the woodwork to hunt us down.”
“That’s encouraging,” she replied dryly, slipping into the co-pilot’s seat. “Recaban just bought us fifty million more enemies.”
“The good news is, they’ve no idea where we are. He’s spreading his net out over half the galaxy. With any luck, we’ll be able to fly right through it.”
“But what if we’re detected?” she asked pessimistically.
“We’ll improvise.”
She looked about the ship once more with a greater appreciation for the militaristic, utilitarian feel of it. “How much fire power does she have?”
“Enough to handle whatever comes our way,” he answered confidently, having lifted it off the black market. No questions had been asked, and there would be no way to trace it back to him.
She examined the navigation charts. “We’ve entered the Emul sector.” She frowned. “A bit out of our way, isn’t it?”
“The alternative is Brecca Minor, a stronghold of Recaban’s. My guess is we should steer clear of it.”
“But everyone knows Recaban’s seat of operation is on Curbon in the Tetrili sector.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Trust me on this one.”
The subtly wasn’t lost on Vaush. “Just how troubled should I be that my husband has insider knowledge of an infamous crime lord’s operations?”
“Not at all if that knowledge turns out to save your life.”
“Point taken,” she said and sat back in her chair. “As monumentally disorienting as this all has been, at least things are beginning to make sense.” She glanced at him. “Even your heated reaction back at Ketherton Sound. I thought you were going mad.”
His look was apologetic. “I was going mad. I thought I was going to lose you and that Nethic was going to be destroyed. I couldn’t let you leave, but I couldn’t hurt you either.”
“As terrified as I was … I think I understand. But once again, if you’d been honest with me from the beginning, we could’ve avoided this pain.”
“
The lesson is learned, Vaush,” he said curtly. “You will have nothing but honesty from me … whatever it costs me.”
“Costs you? Darling, I’m your wife. As long as I have your complete honesty and fidelity, you’ll always have me. And together we’ll face whatever life throws at us.”
A faint smile touched his lips. “Those words sound an awful lot like marriage vows and this time you’ve said them as Vaush Hrollaugr.”
“Knowledge of my heredity did nothing to diminish my feelings for you,” she said. Her hazel eyes glowed warmly. “And nothing ever will, my love.”
“I intend to hold you to that promise … Your Excellency.”
She smirked. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got a long road ahead of us before any such—” she paused seeing Comron’s worried expression as his hands froze over the controls. “What’s wrong?”
He sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes as if the weight of the world was upon him.
“Com, you’re scaring me.”
“It’s Crausin. He’s trying to hail me through my private link.”
“What does he say?”
He sighed heavily. “They all know we’re together. Thalonius and Recaban mean to kill us both.” He turned to her. “Crausin’s offering to help us if we’ll agree to talk to him.”
She chortled. “What? Does he think we’re daft?”
When he made no reply, Vaush was reminded that Crausin still exerted a great deal of influence over Comron and, with their prospects looking increasingly bleak, would he be tempted to compromise their position by enlisting Crausin’s help?
“So … what will you tell him?” she pressed.
“Nothing. I won’t risk a communication that could give away our position.”
It was precisely the answer she’d hoped for, nonetheless, she could see that it disturbed him greatly to be at odds with Crausin. When the crisis was all over, she would do what she could to help them reconcile, if such was possible.