Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights (60 page)

She leaned over and kissed Claire on the forehead. Claire, already in a state of shock after what had happened, blinked rapidly and started to stand.

Ellie reached a hand out and pressed her back into the couch. “Have you heard Val’s story?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I don’t know this person.”

“Hmm. Val was just a young man, younger than you. He didn’t know me, but he sacrificed his own life to save mine. The process required him to make a choice, and he chose duty to the greater good over his own life. He made his choice with full knowledge. He survived only because of the miracle known as a Rider. Do you see the parallels here?”

Claire continued looking into Ellie’s eyes, then she nodded slowly. “Are such decisions really choices?”

Her eyes shifted to Atiana. “I barely knew you, but I already felt like you were my queen. Your responsibility was to the ship and everyone in it. Mine was to you.” Her eyes stayed on Atiana for another moment, then returned to Ellie. “I hear you, Your Majesty. I don’t know what else to say. I’m still just me.”

“Are you?” Ellie asked sharply. “Val has never wavered in his beliefs. So strong are they that he is now a Knight of the Realm. Will that be your path?”

Claire’s mouth dropped open. “Your Majesty?”

Ellie backed off, but only a little. “I know . . . it’s too soon. That does not change the fact that you are now in my sights. I won’t forget you, and I will not hesitate to call upon your services in the future should I feel the need. In the meantime, I Name you Friend of the Royal Family.” She pulled a pendant and chain from a pocket and placed it around Claire’s neck. “This will open any door in the Empire to you in my name. Use it wisely, but do not hesitate should a need arise.”

She looked to Havlock. “I expect you to provide her with the best possible education.”

“Your Majesty?” he said in surprise. “I’ll be on Tranxte.”

She looked sharply to Claire. “He doesn’t know?”

Claire’s eyes left Ellie to shift between Atiana and Havlock. “I have no home here within the Empire. I was hoping I could stay with you.” She looked into Atiana’s eyes. “I’m a pretty good teacher.”

An instant smile split Atiana’s face. “I was afraid to ask. Yes!” He eyes shifted to Ellie. “And a hundred more just like her.”

Havlock was not so quick to agree. “We have a rule: only warriors until the gleasons are gone.”

Josh spoke up. “She’s a warrior, Governor. I vouch for her. In fact, I’d be dead now had she not had such phenomenal aim. I’ve actually been giving some thought to inviting her try out for our Protector training.”

Ellie stood up, clapping her hands again. “Well! That’s settled then.” Her gaze shifted to Galborae. “I had some idea of your importance to Tranxte, but I had no idea of your importance to the Empire.”

“Nor did I, Your Majesty. I have yet to meet these Leaf People who have guided my life—actually all our lives—for so many years. They chose Gar as their messenger and me as their sword. I’m happy to have served. I hope it’s all behind us now. I believe the end of our gleason problem is finally in sight.”

“Do you realize you stopped the spread of a whole new pestilence, a pestilence that might have rivaled or even exceeded that of the Chessori? My Empire is in your debt. Because of your bravery and intelligence, Tranxte has earned a place of honor within my civilization.”

He stood up. “Thank you, Your Majesty, but look around this room. It took every single one of us, and others gave their lives so that we can be here today.”

“Agreed, but you were their guide when it mattered. Leaders like you are rare. When they come to light, I do not hesitate to call upon them, though the reward I give for such unselfish actions is more often than not a call to even greater sacrifice in my name. Will you kneel before me?”

Galborae seemed rooted in place. He blinked a few time as he considered her words, then said, “Those words carry a certain connotation where I come from. What exactly are you asking of me?”

“I think you know. You have become a Great One within our Empire. I want to make it official.”

“I’m not a member of your Empire.”

“My husband Michael’s very words. I’ll tell you what I told him—I am not a clerk filling out forms here, and you know it. My Empire is ready to receive you, and it needs you.”

Galborae stood rooted in place for another few heartbeats, then he went to a knee, though he was ten paces away from the Queen. He spoke as formally as he could. “Your words honor me and my people, Your Majesty, but I cannot.”

Ellie seemed to sag. “Why?”

“Everyone holds the Leaf People in high esteem, so everything they say matters. They named me Speaker for Tranxte in a vision.”

“I know. You’ve been singled out in several visions. Until recently I did not give Tranxte the attention you all deserved. For that I apologize.”

“My purpose as Speaker is to unite Tranxte. According to the vision sent by the Leaf People, if I fail in my duty as Speaker, Tranxte will ignite. I hold to that calling, Your Majesty. Can I speak for the people of Tranxte, can I help them unite, if I’m sworn to you?”

Ellie stared into his eyes, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Eventually, she stepped over to him and pulled him to his feet. “You are truly a Great One. I made a similar offer to another and he declined on similar grounds. I will tell you this: my Knights often conceal their identity, meaning few know of their position.” Her lips firmed as she shook her head. “I do not want to form a relationship with Tranxte based on deceit.”

“Nor will I, Your Majesty. The honor you have bestowed on me with your request will help carry me through whatever the future brings.”

“A few rare individuals shine like beacons. Your light has led many of us, and I believe it will continue to light our way into the future. Titled or not, I will not hesitate to call on you should the need arise.”

“There’s not a person in this room who would hesitate to answer your call, Your Majesty. I’m certain you know that.”

Ellie smiled. “Actually, I do. Thank you. Now, am I to understand you plan to meet a gleason personally?”

“I do.”

“You have 25,000 marines on Tranxte. Let them do it.”

Atiana stood up and went to his side. “This is one thing we’ll not ask anyone else to do.”

“You’ve both graduated to greater responsibilities now.”

“We’ll have marines with us, but if it’s too dangerous for us, then it’s too dangerous for anyone. Don’t forget, we are both soldiers first.”

“I haven’t forgotten, but I’m asking you personally to not be the heroin here.”

Atiana shook her head. “It has nothing to do with being the heroin. Surely you of all people understand that. It will not be a negotiation between soldiers, Ellie. It’s a meeting between heads of state, between civilizations. We’re going to make promises to a gleason that we’ll have to stand behind. It should be Gar doing this, but he’s not ready.”

“Well, don’t give away the store.”

“We won’t, but I’m counting on your Empire to back us up with transportation.”

“We’ll back you up with more than that. You’re not going out there alone.”

“We’ll have lots of marines.”

“You’ll have a Protector by your side as well. He’s a Knight, and he has the authority to speak in my name. The Empire will back his promises, hence yours.”

Atiana turned on Josh with sparks almost flashing from her eyes. “You might be a Knight, but you’re no more ready to fight for your life than Gar.”

Otis padded over to her. “I will stand with you.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “But you’re the Queen’s Protector. This is not your place. It’s my world, not yours or hers.”

“Everything you say is right,” Otis said. “What you left out is that the Empire brought this scourge to Tranxte.”

“The rebels brought them, not the Empire.”

Otis sat with his head cocked to the side. “Do you think your people will ever appreciate the difference?”

“Yes! I . . .” She stopped talking, suddenly uncertain.

“Exactly, Your Majesty. Knights always take the fullest possible view of things. You might not know it, but you’re doing it as well. Why else do you insist on doing this thing yourself?”

“Sire?”

“I think you know the answer even if you haven’t put it into words. It’s because history will record this event. Your people will always know who risked everything for them: you, a queen of their very own, and your Speaker, an individual destined to lead them through their emergence. History demands a representative of the Empire as well. It’s not about us as individuals, it’s about what we represent and will represent for posterity.”

“Your wisdom inspires me, Sire.”

“As does yours, My Lady. Everyone likes to be the hero, but our importance here is as figureheads, not heroes.”

“I understand, and I couldn’t agree more.”

“My presence will make your job harder,” Otis said. “It might even make it impossible. If it does, I’ll withdraw.”

“Why harder?”

“Because my people and the gleasons have ancient grievances.”

“Then find someone else.”

“No. If the gleason agrees in my presence, we’ll know the agreement has teeth. He, and by inference the rest of the gleasons, will abide by it. The challenge is to get to the point of agreement. I hope you’re persuasive.”

* * * * *

As the meeting was starting to break up, Ellie took Atiana’s arm and pulled her aside for a private conversation. “I understand you’re a little more trusting of visions now?” she asked.

“We’re assuming it was the Leaf People who helped me remember the code on the net. Whoever it was, it’s an experience I’ll never forget and one I hope to repeat under different circumstances.”

“We’ll make certain you do,” Ellie said. “What exactly happened?”

Atiana smiled as she brought the memory back. “It felt like someone was right there in my head, but I felt like someone’s arms were around me as well. He said we had done well but that we needed just a little more help, then he gave me the code.”

“What you felt is exactly how the rest of us felt when meeting them in person.” Ellie brought two fingers to her chin while she considered. “I believe that’s a first,” she finally said. “They’ve led Krys in real time, but I have not heard of them personally intervening in the flesh, so to speak. It opens doors to other possibilities which I will consider deeply. Thank you.”

“I don’t think this makes me a Seer,” Atiana added.

Ellie nodded her head thoughtfully. “Who can know? That said, I tend to agree. Yours was not a vision so much as an active intervention.” She looked sharply to Atiana. “I hope you’ll let me know if there’s a recurrence.”

“I shall, Your Majesty.”

* * * * *

Seeton led everyone back through the ship to air cars waiting outside. Shortly after leaving Ellie’s meeting room, Claire suddenly stopped, then leaned against the corridor wall with glassy eyes. She stood there for a moment, then slid down to sit with her back against the wall.

Atiana waved the others ahead and joined her in companionable silence. Claire was the first to break that silence with her head hanging between her knees and her eyes focused on the deck. “Three months ago I was in an underground prison with no hope and no future. Today I participated in a meeting with the Queen and . . . just how many Knights were in that room?”

“At least three. I’m never certain when I’m around her. I know exactly how you feel. What she did to you, she has a way of doing to everyone around her. I think it’s her way of cutting through all the barriers to reach the person you really are.”

“It works. I feel like I was stripped naked.”

“You were. We both were. So what’s your answer?”

Claire lifted her eyes to Atiana. “I haven’t been asked.”

“You might want to do a little homework before answering. Tranxte is primitive compared to all this,” she said, motioning vaguely at the ship. We don’t have vehicles or running water or even electricity. Until the marines came, we fought with swords. It’s still brutal and dangerous. There are no truly safe places on the planet, and very few of my people know how to read or write. Governor Havlock is trying to introduce the Empire to us in a way that makes sense. I’m sure you can appreciate the importance of teachers to that process.”

“I’m aware of all that. I have a Rider descended from Stren, remember?”

Atiana smiled. “I haven’t forgotten.”

“What’s Governor Havlock’s process?”

“He’s introduced the Empire to most of the planet. The next thing is to rid the planet of gleasons, then as he puts it, the hard work starts. He wants to introduce technology and learning a little bit at a time, hoping we’ll take it to the next level on our own. The whole process is in its infancy.”

“I can see myself being a part of that. I’ve been teaching my guards for years.”

“What did you teach them?”

“Mathematics is my favorite, but all the sciences, philosophy, history, everything. Our elders were a group of scientists, and they demanded high performance even if there was little hope. As guard captain, I was also responsible for weapons training. We spent a lot of time on that.”