Cassandra's Challenge (72 page)

“Hey girls, I hear Hutu made fudge torta, anyone
what to go get some?” In seconds the garden is clear.

“Very smooth.”

“I have my moments.” He watches her walk away
from him. “Tell me.”

“William…”

“Cassandra, I trust your instincts more than I
trust other people’s facts.” Sighing she tells him.

“In my dream, the one were Sabah is pregnant,
she told me my son would be strong like his father.” She looks up
seeing the flare in his eyes. “There’s more.”

“Tell me.”

“Sabah had nine sons before she had a daughter.”
William pales. “I’ve never found a Qwes woman that had just one
child. But once they have a girl they never have another.”

“You’re saying we’ll have more than one child.”
His arms embrace her.

“Yes.” She scans his face.

“Cassandra….as long as you’re okay I have no
problem with having multiple children with you. You can’t think I
would.”

“We haven’t talked about it. With everything
that’s happening with Dadrian….”

“Enough! Every child we have together will be
loved. A part of you and me that goes on, but only if you are safe,
I won’t risk you. Not even for our child.”

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” She rests her head
against his chest.

The next few days are quiet in the Royal Suite,
preparations are being made though out the Palace for Prince
Dadrian’s funeral or sochraide as it’s called on Carina. Members
from all the Royal Houses will be attending along with Assemblymen
and common citizens. Security inside the Palace as well as the City
of Pechora has been increased to accommodate the arrivals.

“Tell me what’s happening.” With Victoria asleep
Cassandra sits a couch in the private quarters. She looks at
William, whose been talking to Kyle and Lucas. Walking over he sits
pulling her close.

“The Royal’s have begun to arrive. They will be
staying in their House’s Consul in Pechora.”

“House’s Consul?” She gives William a rare lost
look.

“Yes.” He thinks how to explain it to her.

“Every House will have an emissary stationed in
the City of a Royal House.” Kyle speaks up. “They will basically
have a small Palace there. It’s considered the same as the Royal
House. The emissary is the go between for their House and the House
where they are.” Kyle watches to see if Cassandra is following.
“When a Royal visits that’s where they stay, it’s equipped for
they’re needs.”

“So it’s an Embassy, got it.” She nods to Kyle.
“What about the sochraide? How does that work?”

“It will be held at the temple in Pechora. The
ceremony for the dead will be presented along with the remembrance
of the ancestors.” William picks up her hand as he speaks. “There
will then be a procession from the temple back to the House of
Protection, where Dadrian will be placed in the family temple until
the private ceremony the next day where he will be placed in the
family tomb.”

“Alright….” She looks at Kyle, Lucas then back
to William. “What am I missing?”

“After Dadrian in placed in the family temple
there will be a gathering in the Public Wing.”

“And?”

“It will be a very large gathering, all the
Royals, the Assemblymen, citizens of the House of Protection.”

“You’re worried about my security.” She can see
she’s right.

“Yes, it would be safer for you
not
to
attend.”

Rising, Cassandra walks over to the window.
Thinking about what William’s saying. Knowing he has every right to
be concerned. The Glitter Man, if it is who she believes it is,
will be there. Victoria will be in danger.

“If I were the Queen of the House of Knowledge,
my
not
being there would be seen as a slight, an insult.”
She turns back to see the Zafar men watching her, no one answers
her question.

“Kyle?” She stares at him. Kyle looks first to
his father then back, if she truly is the Queen as his father is
convinced she is, she needs this information.

“Yes, it would be seen as an insult.”

She looks at William. “You, Kyle, Lucas will all
need to be there not only because Jotham is your King, you are all
Royals.”

“Yes.”

“When we arrived, the Royal Suite was locked and
sealed.”

“Yes there is only one key.” William knows what
she’s leading too.

“So if after the procession, Victoria,
Michelakakis’, Tar, Marat and the guards return to the Suite and
seal the door, Victoria will be protected.”

“You left yourself out.” He tells her.

“I’ll be at the gathering protected by the Zafar
men. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

“Damn it Cassandra!” William moves off the
couch.

“If I were Queen, we wouldn’t even be having
this discussion. I’ll be damned if I’m going to hide away, while
this fucking traitor is at the gathering making all nice! He’s
nothing but a coward hiding behind the Regulians and terrorizing
children. He’s not going to try anything tomorrow.”

“Then why all the security for Victoria?” The
two are almost nose to nose, Kyle and Lucas look at each other.

“Because I could be wrong,” The fire goes out of
her eyes. “He could think it’s the perfect time to go after
Victoria.”

“No one’s going to touch her.” William touches
her cheek.

“I’m staying back with her.” Lucas looks at the
pair.

“You need to be there to show your support for
Barek and your King.” Cassandra tells him.

“That doesn’t come before Victoria!” Kyle’s
shocked at his brother’s tone, his attachment to the little
girl.

“Do you think it does for me!?!” Her eyes flash
at Lucas. “But this needs to be done, if she’s ever going to be
safe, if she’s ever going to get to grow up, have a life, then the
Glitter Man needs caught.”

“You think he’ll be there.” Lucas pales at the
thought of him anywhere near Tori.

“I know he will.” She looks back to William.
“Nothing could keep him away. The one person who knows who he is,
what he’s done, is dead. He’s safe again. Or at least thinks he is.
Now he can concentrate on me.”

“Then you need more than the three of us.” Kyle
stands. “I’m not going to be much help.”

“You want to bait him.” William’s frown tells
her he doesn’t like the idea.

“Not so much bait as….irritate. And you sell
yourself short Kyle.” Cassandra watches William.

“He’ll watch you arrive with no professional
security. He’ll see it as you having no fear, no fear of him. It
will infuriate him.”

“Yes, he’ll make a mistake.”

“Maybe. He’ll try to talk to you.”

“He will, to test the waters, to look for
weaknesses. He will see you as one Kyle, but he’ll be wrong. He’s
not abducting a little girl, on a distant planet this time. He’s
dealing with three men from the House of Protection, something he’s
not. He doesn’t protect, he destroys.”

William’s told her he trusts her instincts more
than other people’s facts and while he didn’t like it, he thinks
she’s right. This will be an opportunity for the Glitter Man to
observe her, to judge her strength, her weaknesses. Seeing her
‘unprotected’ at a very public gathering will do more than
irritate, he’ll see it as a challenge.

“If we do this…
IF
. You will
not
leave my side. If
I
say we leave, we leave. Understand!” He
grips her chin as his eyes bore into hers.

“Yes.” Cassandra knows when to concede.

“I need to contact a few people. Fill in Marat
and Quinn.” Giving her a hard kiss he heads to the ready room. Kyle
and Lucas watch him go, then look at Cassandra, amazement in both
their eyes.

“What?” She asks looking at the two, a faint
blush on her cheeks. “It’s not like you’ve never seen us kiss.”

“It’s not that.” Lucas tells her.

“Then what?”

“It’s like you know what the other ones
thinking, like you’ve been together for cycles, not weeks. You
understand each other.”

“We have our moments.”

“Even when you fight,” Kyle says quietly. “I’ve
never seen anyone stand up to him like that. You’ll go toe to toe
with him, argue your point,
tell
him he’s wrong. You get
angry but not….mean, not hurtful.”

“Why would I want to hurt him?” She gives them
both a confused look.

“When he and mom used to fight….he would just go
silent, mom would say some…hurtful things.” Kyle has to look
away.

“Kyle you don’t have to tell me this. Every
relationship is different.”

“This is right.” He looks back to her. “This
relationship is right, for dad, for you. I didn’t want to admit
that before. That what they had wasn’t, wasn’t right for either of
them.”

Cassandra says the only things she can. “I love
him.”

“And he loves you. It shows.” It’s Kyle’s turn
to blush.

In the ready room the Admiral is finishing up
his last transmission. He’s contacted all those he can trust.
Cassandra will have all the protection he can give her without
Marat and his men.

“What’s up Will?” Quinn enters the room.

“Sit down Quinn, we need to talk.” As Will fills
in his long time friend on the plans for tomorrow Quinn says
nothing. “I know it’s a lot to ask.”

“No it’s not. I would only be there out of
respect for the King. You and your family need to be there, you’re
Royals.” Quinn leans back, looking at Will.

“What’s on your mind Quinn?”

“High Command.”

“What about it?”

“Word’s out about there being a traitor. That
there’s been one for over seven cycles. That Valerian was oblivious
until you brought it to his attention.”

William leans back saying nothing.

“Now Tibullus is on Carina when Valerian
couldn’t tell Jotham if he was dead or alive, a neat trick by the
way.” Quinn watches he’s friend Will has always kept things to
himself. “He’s losing support. Valerian. Command doubts his
abilities to lead, rumors are flying that they’re going to make
you
High Admiral.”

William’s eyebrows shoot up. “That’s
ridiculous.”

“You have the support of the other Admirals and
Captains in the fleet. They trust and respect you. Especially now,
you’re willing to risk everything to catch this traitor, including
your career.”

William finds himself slightly embarrassed by
what Quinn is telling him. “I’m only doing my job.”

“You’re doing more than that, and you know it.
It also means you have a big problem.”

“What’s that?”

“Valerian.”

“He’s hearing this?” William rests his elbows on
his desk his chin on his knuckles.

“Yes. It’s also known that Cassandra tore him
apart, in front of King Jotham and the Protection Assemblymen.
She’s getting quite a reputation within the fleet.”

“What do you mean ‘reputation’?” William’s tone
is icy.

“Easy.” Quinn tells him. “She entered an active
array, possibly saving the Retribution. Falco, she schooled her
like she was a child. She’s a Challenger to Queen Yakira of the
House of Knowledge. And she’s willing to go head to head with the
High Admiral in your defense. Oh, and then there’s just that little
thing of you claiming her as your life mate.”

“Fuck.”

“Will….they stand behind her.” Shocked eyes look
at Quinn, who gives him a wryly grin. “She’s won them over with her
honesty, courage, and commitment to you. She has their support and
much as you do.”

“Valerian will be rabid.”

“Already is.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“William?” Cassandra raises her head from his
chest to look at him.

“Yeah?” He runs a hand up and down her back.

“On Earth, when there is a
funeral….
sochraide people tend to wear black. Is it that way
here?”

“Black?”

“Yes. Should I ask Javiera?”

William thinks, this is one of those things he’d
never worried about before. He always wears his uniform. But for
women…

“I’ve never noticed a consistent color, except
uniforms. Black does represent death, the ceremony for the dead.
But white is the color of the ancestors, of redemption if you
like.” He can see she’s thinking.

“It’s that way with all the Houses?”

“Yes it’s a unifying point.” He tucks a loose
piece of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers caress her
neck.

“Redemption….a nice thought.” She gives him a
soft smile.

The day dawns bright and beautiful. The first
sun is high in the sky as the Challenger’s cortege enters the
Temple of Pechora. Heads turn as the group passes, guards blocking
a clear view of the Challenger. They are led to the front of the
Temple.

Victoria’s eyes are avid as they scan the
Temple, taking in everything at once. Turning she looks up at her
Aunt sitting next to her. Cassandra looks down at her giving her a
slight wink.

They talked earlier about this, that if Victoria
has questions she would wait until they were back in the limisins.
This is a solemn event and they would give it the respect it
deserves.

As the music changes all in the temple stand for
the entrance of the King and his remaining son Barek. They follow
the funeral coffin of Dadrian as it is placed in front of the
alter, the King and Prince sit.

The ceremony, full of rituals that Cassandra
only partly understands, is long, performed by a Guide, the
Carinian equivalent to a Priest. Part way through Victoria slides
her hand into hers. Looking down, she sees tears in her niece’s
eyes. Squeezing the little hand she lets her know she understands
that the tears aren’t only for Dadrian.

William watches the two. He’d been concerned it
might be too much for them. There had been no sochraide for their
family. He puts his hand over her free one, offering what comfort
he could. Cassandra raises sad but grateful eyes to him.

When the ceremony ends, all stand, allowing
Jotham and Barek, to leave first, following Dadrian. When it comes
time for them to leave, the guards close back around them.