A light rain was falling over Tuaut as the shuttle grounded on the grounds of the Imperial Palace. The door opened, and a young officer saluted Daz, and then Ulysses. Both returned the gesture, and Daz led the group through the rain to a doorway near the shuttle pad.

Waiting inside was another, slightly older officer, who again came to attention and saluted. Daz tapped her forehead, and said, “Praetor, I keep telling you not to salute me.”

“I have to salute you. First, it’s protocol. Second, it annoys you, your highness.”

Daz rolled her eyes. “Reevah, see if I give you a present for your wedding.”

“Rhionne will pick out the present, I’m not worried,” Reevah said, grinning. She turned, and waited a split-second, as Axed had come to attention immediately, and looked about as worried as she usually had back when she was guarding Rhionne and ran into Praetor Dusit.

“Axed Tam, reporting Prince Ulysses safe and secure, ma’am,” he said, saluting.

“Acknowledged, and as you were, Decanus Axed. I will be debriefing you myself after we meet with the Empress. That is not something to worry about; I’ve seen nothing to indicate that you did anything but perform your duties precisely, as I would expect.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Axed said, trying not to sigh in relief.

Reevah remembered being that young; she wondered if someday, when she was old and gray and living with Zhalem in a retirement home, if Axed might have her job. They could certainly do worse.

“All right, we’ll head up to the Zegaso II Room; their Imperial Majesties are waiting for us there. I do wish to welcome you to the Palace, but as I assume you know, you should not discuss the fact that you are here with anyone until we have cleared you to do so. For Decanus Axed, that is an order; for the rest of you, that is a strong request that I am relaying from the Emperor, one he will be reiterating when you meet with him.”

“We had this conversation with Ulysses, Praetor Tam,” Pelleas said. “And after what Aleks had to say…we’ll keep it quiet. That said….”

“Your mother probably knew you were coming here forty years ago, Mr. Tarsuss, and I rather expect the Emperor will ask you to speak with her, but please do not do so until cleared.”

“I understand, Praetor,” Pelleas said. Reevah and Daz shared a look; they knew Pelleas would be contacting Senator Tarsuss as soon as he could. It was decent of him to not promise he wouldn’t.

They walked through the darkened hallways of the palace – well, all but Aleks did, he was being carried by Siru. All of them were underdressed, he thought, which only added to his feeling like this was a terrible, awful idea, and that he should definitely not be doing this. But they reached the small meeting room too soon for terror to really set in, and before he knew it, another woman, who Reevah had greeted warmly, had opened the door.

“Your Imperial Highnesses, I announce the arrival of Her Imperial Highness Daz, Lady Zakrov, Boyara of Tannhauser; His Imperial Highness Ulysses, son of the Tzarevna of Tannhauser; Pelleas Tarsuss, son of Lady Tarsuss; Siru Aljansen, daughter of Sen. Skorsjad Aljansen, son of the Jarlkon of Tromsø; Decanus Axed Tam of 1^st Corps; Mr. Luke Maris, of Korafia Province, son of the Hon. Thurfrit Maris and the Hon. Aezhay Maris; Mr. Naleu Ystandus, of Pysith Province; and Mr. Aleks Odusi, of Avalon Province.”

“Thank you, Zhalem,” Emperor Tiernan said. “Welcome to the Palace,” he added, with a slight yawn. “Please be seated. I would like to introduce to all of you my wife, Empress Rajenlif; my daughter and son-in-law, Princess Rhionne and Prince Pierce; and Praetor-Imperator Vanser Nix and Sebastokrator-Imperator Mpola Vidol. Thank you all for coming at this very early hour. Please, be seated.”

“Thank you for organizing this so quickly, Your Imperial Majesty,” Ulysses said. “I apologize for waking all of you, but Aleks Odusi has…well, to be direct, he has evidence of a possible plot against the Carba Throne, and possibly much worse.”

“A small amount of this has been relayed to us, but only a small amount,” Rajenlif said, looking at the small man who had been set on the table by Siru Aljansen. “I understand, though, that this is a potentially serious matter.”

Aleks swallowed hard; he was not afraid of Titans…but he was surrounded by nine people the size of buildings, one of whom was the Sovereign of the Titan Empire. Still, he had come this far, and so he ignored that his mouth felt like sandpaper. “Your…your Imperial Majesty,” he said, “I…as I said to Princess Daz, and to Prince Ulysses…I only know what I overheard; a lot of this is me speculating about what it meant. If it turns out that this is me being…being a fool, or somehow overzealous, I want to apologize….”

Rajenlif raised a hand, and smiled at the small man, who was walking to the middle of the table. “Mr. Odusi, my grandson is a strong judge of character; if he thought you were the type of person to bring something unfounded to our attention, he would have listened to you and given me a call in the morning, relaying a rumor that he had heard. And he is as intelligent as any of my children or grandchildren, and that is a sharp group indeed; if after hearing from you, he did not think that your information was serious or potentially accurate, he would have called me to advise that you were trustworthy, but misguided. The fact that he called my son-in-law to ask for an emergency meeting….Mr. Odusi, your information may turn out to be wrong, but that does not mean it is not credible, nor that it does not merit immediate attention. Please, proceed.”

Aleks nodded, and said, “First…this will make more sense when I tell you that I have been dating Siru for the past several months.”

Rajenlif nodded, and turned to Siru. With a sympathetic smile, she said, “I know Luviisa very well. I strongly suspect you have not told her, nor your father.”

“No, High-born Rajenlif,” Siru said, though her voice was still a shadow of its usual self. “But…well, when we went back to Jutuneim for Lady Umbas’ memorial…Aleks did come along with me…to support me. It was…Ljied was my brother’s mom, and while she wasn’t my mom, it….”

“Ljied’s death was a sharp shock to us all,” Rajenlif said. “And I know it was hard for your brother. I’m sure it was hard for you as well. Mr. Odusi, I am glad to hear that you wished to take care of your girlfriend during a time her emotions were raw, even if it meant being smuggled in and out of Jotnarherath in a manner that is less respectful than you deserve.”

“I…Siru needed me,” he said.

“I’m sure she did,” Rhionne said, looking down at her husband.

“Well…one night, the night of the memorial service, Siru was asleep, and I…this will sound weird, but I was wandering through the ducts in the house. I…I wasn’t trying to spy, or anything, I just was awake and stretching my legs….”

“It’s nice to find shortcuts,” Pierce said. “And ducts offer a bunch – as long as you watch your step.”

“Yeah, right. Well…I heard Lady Aljansen and Aud Aljansen return home. They were talking, and…and Aud was saying she felt bad, about Ljied, and then she said…she said she wished there was ‘another way.’ And Lady Aljansen said it was the…the ‘cleanest’ outcome. And then apologized for inconveniencing Aud with Riggu.”

Rajenlif had been listening up to this point, taking mental notes, but not going overboard. Now, she had told the truth, she believed this was a credible threat, and that at the very least, Ulysses did; she did not want Odusi to feel bad about relaying it even if it turned out to be nothing. She was realistic, though, and expected this to be mostly damaging gossip about Luviisa, but nothing more. Of course, that was more than enough reason to be woken up early.

But that phrase – that phrase caused her to sit bolt upright, her eyes wide.

“The…’cleanest?’ Luviisa said that?” Rajenlif asked.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. They talked a bit more about Aud’s pregnancy, and then Lady Aljansen said they couldn’t move too fast, that they’d look like they were climbing over bodies. But Aud said that…Lord Sjedi – Rajinvalt Sjedi – he was ‘solid,’ but he could ‘start wondering.’ And they said if they ‘pulled it off’ it could still be reversed, Aud said it was okay, that they’d push her candidacy in the Jotnardiggi if…if the decision was changed. That it was good for the…the movement, or the cause, I’m not sure, but something…and then they said they were ‘fighting for more’ and that Jotnarherath would be free. And Lady Aljansen told Aud…she said she would be ‘a fine Dronung’ with the attitude she had.”

There was silence around the table for a good long moment. “Did they say anything else?” Rajenlif asked.

“Aud asked if Ranu – Lord Aljansen – knew…I’m not sure what, exactly…but Lady Aljansen said she hadn’t told him, for the same reason Aud hadn’t told Sen. Aljansen. That neither understood that they were at war.”

Rajenlif drew in a long breath and let it out. “This is…quite a serious allegation, Mr. Odusi.”

“It’s just the start,” Ulysses said. “Aleks…he realized that Lady Umbas and Lord Sjedi both died of aneurysms.”

Aleks nodded. “I started…when I got back to Bozedami, I was worried. I figured, if they really thought this was a war…I didn’t know a war about what, but I didn’t want Siru caught up in it, especially not for dating me. I’m not…I’m not worth that.”

Siru’s heart was firmly lodged in her throat, and she couldn’t force out the words she wanted to shout, which was that he was very worth it indeed, and she was the one with a traitorous family, but before she could start to engage her vocal cords, Aleks had moved on.

“So anyhow, I started looking for people who had died of aneurysms, or strokes, to see if it was a pattern, or if I was just being paranoid, and…well, Sen. Idia was a supporter of human emancipation but her daughter isn’t. And that got me looking at pro-emancipation people, and I identified twelve in the past year, including Umbas, Sjedi, Idia, Torja Lidip, and then eight others outside the noble families – Premier Arthis of Pyrio, Krisanu Sycom, Fari Okani, Jesen Emitsa, Ralio Thyl, Ykonet Brores, Fasmo Bagry, and Idorim Visus. I’m not sure – it could be a coincidence. But it just…with everything….”

“Why didn’t you come forward sooner?” asked Tiernan.

“That’s my fault,” Siru said. “He told me about the conversation, but I thought…maybe I just wanted to think…that it was just my grandmother…High-born Rajenlif, you know my grandmother, she is….”

“Luviisa has always been rather ruthless when it comes to advancing the House of Aljansen. And blunt to the point of callous. And…she is your grandmother. Given that, I can understand why you would not want to believe this. I don’t want to believe this. I don’t think any of us do.”

“Praetor-Imperator Nix, what are the odds of something like this being chance?” Tiernan asked.

Vanser had been punching data into his pad, as had Mpola. They showed each other their pads, and nodded. “It’s…there would need to be a lot more analysis on this, Your Imperial Majesty,” Vanser said. “Quick calculation…it’s not impossible that it could be a coincidence.”

“But it’s not likely to be,” Mpola. “On first analysis there’s an eighty percent likelihood of connection, based solely on positions of power and holding a common political position. Further analysis is almost certain to bring that over ninety percent, though we don’t want to overfit the data.”

“I remember my classes at the academy,” Tiernan said with a nod. “Is this enough to act on?”

“It’s enough to begin an investigation,” Vanser said, “and I’ll order one immediately. Unfortunately, this is all based on Mr. Odusi’s testimony and that alone is not enough to arrest, much less convict. And…well, unfortunately, Mr. Odusi, you would have a strong motive to be lying about this. I’m not saying you are – I don’t think you are – but….”

“No, I get it,” Aleks said. “I’m dating Siru, and…and Lady Aljansen wouldn’t approve. And if I could get Lady Aljansen out of the way…I wouldn’t, but I understand.”

Mpola’s mouth twitched. “Mr. Odusi, what are you studying at the College at Bozedami?”

“Law.”

“And do you have plans for what you want to do with it?”

“Not yet. I…I had to take the opportunity to go to the school, I figured if nothing else I could practice on Avalon. There’s a strong demand for people with degrees from The College, Tannhauser Gate, and Husmu Daraean.”

“That’s true throughout the Empire,” Tiernan said.

Mpola punched a button on her pad. “Are you related to a Nik Odusi? Officer in the Space Exploration Corps?”

“My older brother,” Aleks said.

“Have you ever considered following him into military service?”

Aleks laughed. “He’s the brave one. And a helluva pilot.”

“Clearly,” Vanser said. “But Mr. Odusi…I believe Krator-Imperator Vidol is thinking that with a law degree from Olch VII, you would be a well-qualified recruit for the Imperators Corps. Think it over; I’ll give you my contact. If you hit graduation and want to join, drop me a line. Unless, of course, you’re making this up, in which case I’ll be arresting you.”

Aleks laughed, as Vanser had said it with a smile. “I will…I’ll think it over, sir. And if…I….”

He looked back at Siru, who had been watching him intently, with tears in her eyes. “If I got Lady Aljansen in trouble just to try to win Siru…she’d dump me and she’d be right to. I may be mistaken about what I heard, but I don’t think so; if I was mistaken, it’s a mistake, not a lie. I wouldn’t lie to make the story fit.”

“No, I don’t think you would,” Rajenlif said. She checked her pad, and shook her head. “If you will excuse me…there is a conclave this morning on Jutuneim. Unfortunately, it goes under seal in fifteen minutes, and most members have likely checked in and are already out of communication. But I am going to try to reach my brother. Tiernan….”

“Praetor-Imperator Nix,” Tiernan said, “the Musu was standing by; will you please relay that the Empress will be traveling to Jotnarherath within the next two hours?”

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty,” Vanser said. “Needless to say, even with Mr. Odusi swearing and testifying, we will need a lot more to take down Lady Aljansen.”

“I don’t suppose your grandmother wears a necklace with a data stick attached to it?” Daz asked. “That worked with my sister. We even have a human who could swipe it.”

“Uh…no,” Siru said. “And…what?”

“It’s a great story,” Ulysses said. “Have you ever seen any films with Sam Rodriguez? Not many people know he brought down my Aunt Vasha.”

“Not just Vasha, but my mom’s mother, too!” Pelleas said. “And saved my mom and dad in the process.”

“Yeah, I was going to mention that,” Ulysses said. “Anyhow, Sam had been picked up with the 2013 abductees, and….”

As Ulysses was launching into the story of how Sam Rodriguez helped bring down Vasha Zakrov and Syon Fand, Rajenlif was quickmarching to an anteroom. She would have preferred to go to her office, but there wasn’t time; instead, she ducked into it and keyed a code into her pad.

“High-born Rajenlif,” answered Azhborn Niearn, “I thought you would be asleep.”

“Azhborn, there isn’t much time, has Kullervo gone into the Chamber of Ten? If not, how about Gunvjer?”

“He has, high-born,” Azhborn said, checking her pad. “The only people not to check in are Lady Aljansen and Sen. Aljansen, who is legate for….”

Pausing not for a moment, she said, “Azhborn, before she goes up…I need to speak with Luviisa.”

This was her last choice. Literally anyone else of the Ten would be better. But given her options…better to warn Luviisa than to do nothing.

“I will signal that you wish to speak with her.”

“I do not wish to speak with her,” Rajenlif said sharply. “I demand to speak with her. And tell her that.”

“High-born?” Azhborn said.

“She is going to make an attempt on the Carba Throne. Perhaps today, perhaps in a few weeks, but before she goes into the meeting…I wish to do her the courtesy of warning her that she will be destroyed.”

Azhborn Niearn took a deep breath, and said, “By your command, my Dronung. One moment.”

The pad winked into a hold screen, and Rajenlif paced. She was tempted to arrest Luviisa; she could, of course. Perhaps even should. But she suspected that if she did, Aud would quickly go to the media and announce her true parentage, and declare that the Dronung was trying to cover it up. If they hadn’t already given an interview; realistically, they may have. Today would be an optimal day to try to….

“My Dronung, how may I help you?” The pad displayed the face of Luviisa Aljansen, who was greeting Rajenlif with an unctuous smile.

There were a dozen different ways to play this, but Rajenlif was a Dronung, and Luviisa Aljansen was her subject. And though she could have tried to play dumb and try to get answers, Rajenif was in no mood for games.

“You are about to make a very big mistake, Luviisa. I am warning you not to. As bad as this could be…I will offer to protect your house from the damage that could blow back on it.”

Luviisa nodded. “Well, I guess Gudda Nieadlgisl called you early. I hope you told him the truth. We gave him the proof of Princess Audara’s parentage; when the story runs….”

“I haven’t talked to Gudda, though thank you, I will reach out to him,” Rajenlif said. “A criminal probe is about to be launched against you and your house; it will include possible charges of murder. There is evidence that you are involved in the death of two members of the Ten Noble Families, Luviisa. If you stop what you’re doing, I can hold up those investigations, give you time to pass your title to Skor, and even let you serve your sentence out in relative luxury with home detention. But if you do not….”

Luviisa looked blandly back at Rajenlif. “If you had evidence I had done anything so vulgar, you would have arrested me already. But I understand; you are going to move scurrilous charges against me in order to prevent Audara from taking her rightful place as your successor. Understand this, Rajenlif; Jotnarherath needs a leader who places it first, above even the Empire. We are not just another province. And while I’m sure the Empire could manufacture lies to prevent that, my first duty is to Jotnarherath, and Dronung Audara will be a fine leader, the leader we deserve. When you speak to Gudda, tell him the truth. I am going under seal now.”

The call terminated.

Rajenlif stared at the pad. It was the first time anyone had ever hung up on her. Well, that wasn’t true; Antero, Rhionne, and Vallero all had a few times. But nobody outside her children had ever dared to do such a thing. Not to the Dronung. Not to the Empress.

Rajenlif called Azhborn again. “Hello, Azhborn, my discussion with Luviisa was…not productive. I am en route to Jutuneim. Should the meeting adjourn before my arrival, the guard is directed to detain Luviisa and Skor Aljansen until I can speak to them.”

Her call completed, she headed back to the Zegaso II Room, where Vanser was saying, “And then Rixie dropped the bomb – she told Syon how they’d managed to catch her. And when Syon heard that it was Vasha’s fault…well, she was only too happy to tell us exactly where Vasha’s skeletons were hidden.”

“And it was Vasha’s own fault,” Daz said. “She really thought she was smarter than everyone else. But she wasn’t smarter than Rixie.”

“Now Dazzle,” Pierce said, “how exactly did Rixie find that drive? Seems to me that someone pointed her in the right direction.”

“Quite kind of you to remember that I relayed Daz’s information, your highness,” Reevah said, setting both Pierce and Rhionne to laughing. Daz smiled, but it was a bittersweet smile.

“That must have been very hard,” Siru said, quietly.

“The hardest thing I’ve ever done. But…I was most afraid of losing Rhionne and Pierce, when they found out what my sister was capable of. That they’d think…well, if I hadn’t given that information to Rixie, I would have been as bad as Vasha was.”

“You could never, on your worst day, be as bad as Vasha was on her best, my daughter,” Rajenlif said. “And your goodness protected the Empire. As did the goodness of Sam, and Reevah…and Rixie Carey.” She took her seat next to Tiernan, and said, “I will be traveling to Naesavarna to…discuss things with Lady Aljansen. I would ask you all to stay as guests here for at least the next few days. If there are issues with schoolwork, I am sure my husband will be glad to intervene on your behalf.”

“Do you want us to go with?” Ulysses asked. Rajenlif shook her head.

“No, you enjoy your time in the Palace. I just ask that you not contact anyone while you are here. Well…Pelleas, it will save time if you speak with your mother, but please, just relay what is known right now. Rhionne, my daughter, would you be so kind as to arrange for rooms? I am sure that our guests have not slept.”

“Of course, mother,” Rhionne said. “We will go to wing three, it’s adjacent to the family residence; Ulee, you can sleep in your own room. And if you message me with your measurements, we can print out clothing for all of you while you’re here; if there’s a style you prefer, simply let us know.”

“Tiernan, my husband, will you accompany me to our bedroom? I need to pack, and to discuss things with you.”

“Of course, my wife.” Tiernan rose, and everyone at the table did as well. “Before I go…I wish to thank all of you, and especially you, Mr. Odusi, for sharing this. Praetor-Imperator Nix, Krator-Imperator Vidol, I will meet with you briefly before departure.”

“Yes, sir,” Vanser said, saluting.

Tiernan and Rajenlif swept into the hallway, and Rajenlif said, “I heard what you said there, and I appreciate it…but my love, I must go alone.”

“You know me well enough to know that I do not go to meddle. But I want to support….”

“I spoke to Luviisa. She hung up on me. She told me…that Jotnarherath deserves a leader that places it first.”

“She hung up on you? The frakking….”

“They already interviewed Audara. Gudda Nieadlgisl will be calling for comment shortly; I expect that Luviisa made arrangements to announce it during the conclave, when Kullervo cannot respond to it.”

“What will you say?” Tiernan asked.

“I will tell the truth,” Rajenlif said. “But Tiernan, I believe I know what Luviisa and Audara have planned. They are going to make arguments based on some very old precedents. It would not hold up in Imperial courts, but they are going to argue that Imperial courts are simply trying to undermine Jotnarherath, all while they do it themselves. If you come with, it will be further proof.”

“Do they mean to remove you from the throne?” Tiernan asked.

“I would not be surprised if they mean for me to have an aneurysm, and very soon,” Rajenlif said, opening the door to their bedchambers. “But no, she said they intend to make Audara my first heir. And while I am quite certain that I can beat them back, especially should evidence prove them guilty…it is going to take a great deal of effort to do so. That must start today. I must make clear that I am the Dronung…and that I bow to no Emperor.”

She turned to Tiernan, and ran her hand down his face. “This…this may force me to take some public stances that…that the Empire is not quite so important as Jotnarherath, and that you…are not so important as I am. Tiernan, I….”

Tiernan smiled, and pulled her into a tight hug. “We will do what must be done to preserve the bonds between the Empire and Jotnarherath, and to prevent murderers from taking the Carba Throne. If that means you must tell people that I am the much less interesting and capable member of our marriage, well, that is simply the truth.”

“Not at all. Never,” Rajenlif said. “And I want you to know, now, that whatever I must say to keep Jotnarherath together….”

“Jotnarherath is more important to you than I am, and my beloved, that is why I love you so,” Tiernan said. “You must do what you must do.”

“I go alone,” Rajenlif said, “but you are always with me. Always.”

Her pad chimed. She broke the hug, and picked up the call. “Azhborn, do you have Gudda on the line?”

“I…do, high-born. How did you know?” Azhborn said.

“Lucky guess. Please, send him through. Mr. Nieadlgisl, it is good to hear from you. I assume you are looking for a statement about Audara Aljansen?”

“I see that news reached you,” Gudda said. “I apologize, my not talking with you until the conclave began was a condition of the interview.”

“That does sound like Luviisa. Go ahead,” Rajenlif said, “and ask the question.”

“Is Audara Bjalki Aljansen your niece?”

Rajenlif took a breath. “Yes,” she said, “she is.”

Just over one hundred Imperial light years away, in a claustrophobic room, Kullervo Throden coughed slightly. “Good morning,” he said. “Our conclave is well-met. We are all the heads of our families, save for myself, representing the House of Throden-ColVanos, and Sen. Skorsjad Aljansen, representing the House of Umbas. Let the record show all ten of our families are present, and let this meeting begin.”