“I will just get inside,” Darient yells over the noise from the engines as she climbs into the gunship. “I’ve never flown in one of these things.”
“Mareliux says she’s safe to be around,” I say when the duchess is out of sight. “But I don’t think she knows about the marriage.” Vera translates, timing her voice in the same way as Bellatriz.
“We will avoid that topic,” Sigise says, stroking one gloved hand along the side of the ship. “I don’t know her, but I think the prince is a good judge of such things. Shall we go, Highness?”
She helps me into the craft. The steps on the side were made with Khavgrens in mind, not Earth girls. But soon I’m inside, sitting next to Darient and dangling my legs. There’s only the two of us in the big passenger space where twenty Khavgren soldiers would normally sit, plus Sigise and her co-pilot in the cockpit.
The gunship’s engines whine louder as they spin up, and then we’re airborne.
“We’ll do a quick sightseeing tour of the palace city,” Darient says. “From the air. Then we’ll go to a place where we don’t think your enemies will expect you to go. Hopefully we’ll accomplish more today than just keeping you alive, although that’s the most important thing. I would be miffed if we failed in that.”
There’s a warmth to her that I like.
The gunship goes straight towards the bridge that’s being built. Its shiny metal design looks even more impressive up close. There’s a vague hint of tentacles to the way it’s been built, as if it was partly modeled on the Tentacle Throne.
“Someone fired a missile from here towards the palace,” I tell Darient. “I saw them standing on that pillar.”
“I heard,” she says and shudders. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like. But something went wrong with that thing, thank the gods. I’m sorry, you must have the worst impression of our planet.”
“It’s been mixed,” I admit as the gunship banks and flies over the white rooftops. “But I won’t judge the whole planet because someone wants to kill Mareliux.”
“And you,” Darient says cheerfully. “Now that the Emperor has approved of you and given you a princess title, you’re just as much a target as he is. Probably more so. There are many women who were hoping to marry him. Still are. Sorry, I don’t mean to scare you. But the Imperial Court is deadly at the best of times. And these, I’m sorry to say, are not the best of times for the Empire or the court. Oh, that’s the Pillar of Antopoz. He was an ancient emperor who started the expansion of the Empire. He was able to bend the Tentacle Throne to his will, and that became the pattern for all the emperors that came later. It’s just a stone column, really. But they say it’s important. Actually, all this ancient rock stuff is not too interesting. I will ask the pilot to take us to the place we’re actually going.” She grabs a comms unit that’s attached to the wall and talks into it.
From up here, the city looks peaceful and beautiful. It appears the Khavgrens have been careful about not building skyscrapers or other structures that would change the basic way it looks. I’m not sure if I like it or if I’d prefer a cluster of black, mirrored towers here and there, just to break up all the whiteness. That might make the city look more modern. But I suppose these people know what they like.
The engines speed up, and Darient sits back in her seat. “The place we’re going to is not that exciting either, but it’s safe. And it might give you a better impression of our planet and palace.”
The place turns out to be a huge park with lots of people around. They’re mostly kids, I notice, which means that some of them are shorter than me and some about my size.
Sigise lands on a grassy knoll on the outskirts of the park. As we climb down from the gunship, I notice that some people are interested in us. Mostly kids in groups, all dressed in colorful clothes and looking cheerful. Some of them cheer when they see me, their voices as bright and eager as human kids.
We walk to a picnic table with stone benches, all low enough for Khavgren kids to be able to sit comfortably. That means I can sit comfortably there, too. All around us there are trees and grass and bushes, looking as if they’re allowed to grow wild. Paths wind their way through the greenery, and I spot booths that seem to sell food.
“You will mostly be seeing the Imperial Court during your stay,” Darient says. “I thought you might like to see how ordinary Khavgrens live. This is Mareliux Park, one of the most popular recreation spots on the planet. Schoolkids come here with their teachers, as do younger kids with their watchers. On holidays,this place is crawling with families and such. It’s free to come here. It’s part of the palace, like every other part of the city.”
“Mareliux Park?” I ponder. “Named after some ancient hero or ruler, of course? Not my husband?”
“Prince Mareliux is a popular royal,” Darient says. “This park is much older than him. It had a different name before the Emperor married Empress Juriniel. Then the people were so relieved we had a heir apparent, who was even the son of General casHuriak, that they renamed the park after him. It’s not easy to make out, but that statue over there is him at twelve.” She points. “Holding his sword and everything. The Empire attached its hopes to him, and we were not quiet about it. Not a light burden to bear, but he did better than most.”
I can see there is a statue, but it’s too far away to see any details. “Were they happy because then there would be no civil war? That’s what Mareliux said.”
She arches her eyebrows. “That’s it. Perhaps you have similar experiences on Earth?”
“I think so,” I tell her, wishing I paid more attention in history class. But I never cared about ancient events — I was always going to space. “But we have other ways of dealing with it. Mareliux is still popular?”
“Very much so,” the duchess says and smiles at a group of children who are looking at us with curiosity, while their handler or teacher tries to keep them at a distance from us. “He carries all our hope. And now I think he will deliver. You both will. Oh, he needed someone like you, Umbra. He has so much to give, but it’s hard to be at your best when there’s nobody you can trust.”
I look away. “Hopefully I can help.” I’ve never felt that bad about the deception until now. Darient thinks I will help Mareliux do something good for the Empire. But my mission is to leave and get back to Earth. I know I won’t be helping him do anything.
What if I could, though? What if the scam became real, and I became an empress for real? Maybe I could help Mareliux with his empire, although I’m not sure how. But I would be able to do a lot of good things for Earth. I could really search for Ashlynn if I had an army and navy the size of the Khavgren one. I’d find her in no time.
The children wave at me, chattering eagerly to each other. I wave back, and they squeal in delight.
Sigise comes out of the gunship. She stops a few feet away, clearly intending to protect us against any danger. But I know there will be no danger here, among the regular people. People like me.
Darient leans back, closes her eyes, and enjoys the alien sun on her face. “I don’t know how much he’s told you about himself. Knowing him, probably next to nothing.”
I follow her example. The sun is pleasantly warm. “He’s spent most of his time since I met him fighting wars. From the ship, directing his generals. He’s very attached to his military duties. So no, I don’t know everything about him.”
