The Worker Prince (9 page)

Lura’s eyes stayed locked on Davi as he receded further into the barracks.

The guard knocked the basket from Nila’s hands, spilling the contents. “No gifts! Go away!”

Davi stopped and whirled around, drawn by the commotion. His eyes fixed upon Nila, recognition dawning there.

He’s coming back!

Davi’s companions reacted with surprise as he hurried toward them. “Hold it there,” Davi called out as he approached.

“You know these women?” the taller guard asked.

“I know her,” David said, indicating Nila. He stepped back through the gate and stood face to face with them.

Lura thought her heart might explode from her chest.

“They were trying to bring gifts here, Captain. You know our policies,” the other guard began explaining.

Davi smiled, hoping to reassure him. “I’m sure they meant no harm. Please allow us a moment.”

The two guards shrugged and turned back to their post as Davi pulled Nila and Lura off to the side.

“You remember me?” Nila said, fearful.

“We remember each other,” Davi said as she nodded. “You ran away so fast the other night, I never got to ask you about this.” He reached under his uniform collar and pulled a chain hanging around his neck. “It’s just like yours.”

Lura’s eyes widened as the blue-green crest appeared, and her knees felt weak but she leaned against Nila to steady herself. All four were there—the laborers, the soldiers, the farmers, and the priests. She couldn’t help but reach out and stroke it gently with her hand.

“I know. I saw.” Nila said, seeing Davi’s surprise at Lura’s forward behavior.

“I wanted to ask you about the symbol on it,” Davi said.

Speak to him. He’s your son.
Lura kept telling herself, as tears welled at the corners of her eyes. She’d waited so long, dreamed of this moment, but now she couldn’t formulate the words.

“It’s our family crest,” Nila said. “Where did you get it?”

“My mother gave it to me when I was a baby. I’ve always worn it,” Davi said.

Behind them, a police cruiser dropped down from overhead and parked nearby, lights flashing. As two officers climbed out, one of the guards motioned toward the women. “It’s those women there.”

Davi’s face turned red with anger as he turned to the guards. “There’s been a big misunderstanding. They’ve done no harm.”

Nila grabbed Lura’s arm with an alarmed look and pulled her back the way they’d come. “Run, Auntie! Run!”

Police! We’re going to be arrested!
Lura snapped out of it, realizing what was happening.

Nila dragged her, picking up pace as she went, while Davi stepped between them and the police. “Auntie Lura! Hurry!”

Lura forced her eyes away from Davi and turned back around, running as fast as she could. Voices rose as men argued behind them, but no one seemed to be chasing them.

O O O

Davi followed Yao and Farien to his quarters and the door slid shut behind them. They both shot hum puzzled looks.

“What was that all about?” Yao asked.

“It was the girl from two nights ago,” Davi said.

Yao squinted with understanding.

“What happened two nights ago?” Farien asked, glancing between them in confusion. Davi and Yao had already decided Farien wasn’t ready to know about the attempted rape and its consequences.

“Why’d she come here?” Yao asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know, but the necklace she wears is identical to mine,” Davi said, pointing to the chain around his neck.

“I’ve seen you wearing that. Where’d you get it?” Farien asked, forgetting his earlier question.

“My mother gave it to me when I was young,” Davi said.

“I’ve never seen you without it. What does the symbol mean?” Farien asked.

“The girl said it’s her family crest,” Davi answered, watching them both for a reaction.

“Why would your mother have you wear the crest of a worker family?” Farien said, more puzzled than ever.

Davi turned to Yao, who seemed lost in thought. “Do you remember that rumor Bordox brought up at the Academy about me?”

“The starport’s full of rumors.” Yao shrugged dismissively.

“What if it was more than just a rumor?” Davi knew how farfetched it sounded.

His friends’ faces filled with a mix of worry, dread, and disbelief.

“Are you saying you’re the child of workers?” Farien struggled to even form the question.

“It seems rather odd for it to be pure coincidence,” Davi said, still unsure what to believe himself. “But I’ve never known my mother to lie to me.”

“Yet given who your uncle is, she would want to protect you,” Yao replied, clearly starting to put the pieces together.

Davi nodded.

“You two can’t be serious? He’s a member of the Royal family,” Farien said.

“An only child of a mother who never married,” Yao said.

Farien kept looking back and forth between them in disbelief. “Single mothers are not that uncommon, especially in official families. You read all those history books.”

Yao and Davi chuckled.

“Good thing since I carried you through history at the Academy,” Yao teased.

Farien scoffed. “But this is crazy.”

“Maybe, but I have to find out for sure,” Davi said. “They ran off. I don’t know where they live.”

“If they came on foot, it must not be far,” Yao said.

“Think about the consequences if that were true,” Farien said, shaking his head as he turned away.

“I have to know the truth, Farien,” Davi said. The potential consequences had been haunting him since he saved the girl and saw her necklace. But this was about knowing who he was. How could he live without being certain? He had to find those women again somehow.

Then he remembered the security camera. Maybe he could get prints of their faces off the databanks and ask around. Someone had to know them—maybe someone at the market. But then who would want to talk to an Alliance Captain? He had to try or it would always haunt him.

“Farien, not a word of this goes outside this room,” Yao said. “When Davi finds out the truth, he’ll let us know. It would be very dangerous for him if certain people found out about this.”

Farien nodded. “Come on. I’ve been his friend all my life. You can trust me.”

Yao and Davi exchanged uncertain looks. Can we trust him?

Farien began frowning until Davi put his hand on his arm, squeezing firmly. “I know I can.”

He hoped he was right.

O O O

Getting images of the two women off the security tapes proved relatively simple. Tracking them down proved even harder than Davi had imagined.

His first two trips to the market produced no leads. As he’d feared, few people there wanted to talk to an Alliance officer. On his third attempt, he came there out of uniform. A couple of vendors recognized the women from the vidprints, but only knew the approximate area where they might live; nothing definite.

Davi wandered through worker residential zones, hoping for another chance encounter with them. His feet moved in time with the droning noise of the city around him. Because the workers’ diets consisted of different foods than he’d grown up with, he discovered new scents of warm meats and sweet fruits as he passed by their houses. Some delighted his nose, while others caused him to cringe. Since Yao and Farien had returned to their duties, he conducted his search alone, on foot, using air taxis a few times to get from his office to the areas he wanted to search. Though the civilian clothes helped a bit, his military haircut and accent still raised suspicion. He made no progress even with those who thought they recognized the women.

After a week, he’d covered most of the areas mentioned by those who’d recognized the women at the market. Almost ready to quit in frustration, he decided to check one last neighborhood. Because he had a meeting at a nearby factory, he stopped there during work hours, in uniform. He knew it might hinder him a bit, but at this point it didn’t seem to matter.

He wandered through one corridor after another, enduring the suspicious glances of the workers he passed. He’d about given up, when he realized he’d been so preoccupied with his thoughts that he’d failed to keep track of the twists and turns he’d taken to reach his present position. He knew he’d crossed the corridor parallel to the one he was on, so, seeing a walkway cut between two buildings, he decided to see where it led.

Entering a courtyard between two buildings, he passed a cart stacked with crates of groceries as a few chickens squawked and scattered at his feet. Then he saw her. At the end of the courtyard, sweeping outside a door stood the woman who’d come to the barracks with the rape victim.

Davi stopped, staring, his mouth dry as worst-case scenarios played in his head. She hadn’t seen him yet but what if she ran? What if she refused to talk to him? He’d treated them nicely before, yes, but he was a Boralian officer, the enemy. Besides, he didn’t know either of the women’s names.
What can I say? Come on, think of something!

Then she turned, saw him, and stopped sweeping.

At first, she stiffened, blinking rapidly at the sight of his uniform, but then, recognizing him, she broke into a smile. She mumbled something, raising her palm to the sky as if offering some kind of prayer, then set the broom aside and moved toward him, almost bouncing like a young girl.

“I was hoping you’d come,” she said, motioning toward the door in front of which she’d been sweeping. “Please. Come into my home so we can talk.”

Davi had the sense she had restrained the urge to hug him. He smiled and moved toward her. “Thank you.”

The dwelling was small and intimate, permeated by the smell of candles mixed with dust. Wooden beams from the frame shown through the white stucco walls at the ceiling and corners. A simple table and chairs sat at one end of the room next to a cooking area with a hotpad and microwave. At the far end, a small entertainment console hung on the wall with a couch and chairs arranged around it. Everything looked much more primitive than Davi was used to. In fact, the building itself looked as if it might have been built during the earliest days of the planet’s colonization. A few pictures hung on the cooling unit with magnets and one solitary painting decorated the wall opposite the door. Light came from a single reflector pad in the center of the ceiling, with more leaking through the door and a window along the wall near the table. A single candle at the center of the table flickered from air slipping in through a crack in the door.

The woman motioned him toward a chair by the table, smiling. “Welcome to our home.”

Davi nodded, as he took it all in and forced a smile. “Thank you. My name is Captain Xander Rhii. I’m the officer in charge of the Southwest farming district. My friends call me Davi.”

The woman’s eyes sparkled at hearing his nickname. “It’s so good to see you again Davi. My name is Lura. Can I offer you any refreshment?” Again, she bounced lightly with every word as if she might burst any moment.

“Thank you, yes. I am thirsty.”

She opened the cooling unit. “I’m afraid our options are quite limited. I do have some tea and juices.”

“Anything would be fine, Lura. Surprise me,” Davi said, smiling again.

She returned with a can of gixi juice and handed it to him.

As she sat across from him, he popped the lid open and took in the sweet scent. “Mmmm. One of my favorites. It’s been a while, too. Thank you.”

Lura seemed delighted. “I’m so glad we found something you like. What brings an Alliance officer to our humble courtyard?”

“I came to find you—either you or the girl who was with you at the barracks,” Davi said as he savored the sweet, smooth taste of the gixi juice.

“Ah yes, my niece, Nila. Thank you for saving her from that soldier,” Lura said, placing her soft hand over his atop the table as if she couldn’t help herself. “Why us?”

Davi hesitated a moment, surprised by her forwardness. “Well, I wanted to be sure you were okay after what happened at the barracks. And I wanted to know more about this,” Davi said. Removing his hand from Lura’s, he pulled out his necklace and let it hang down the front of his uniform. “What can you tell me about it? Before the police chased you off, Nila mentioned a family crest?”

Lura pulled her hand back, staring at the necklace. “There are only a few like it in existence.”

Davi nodded. “How would my mother have come to have one?”

“I don’t know. Who’s your mother?” Lura asked with curiosity.

“I was raised by Princess Miri Rhii, sister to Lord Xalivar,” Davi said.

At the mention of his uncle’s name, her face turned white and her voice shook. “Legallis? The Royal Family?”

“Yes,” Davi said as he nodded. He wondered if all workers had the same reaction to the High Lord Councilor’s name. He sipped his juice again as she considered what he’d said.

“My God, I never imagined,” she said, almost as if talking to herself. “When we sent you away, it was supposed to be Regallis.” Her voice faded as she realized she was speaking her thoughts out loud.

“Sent me away? What do you mean? Have we met before?”

Lura stood and walked over to one of the pictures hanging on the cooling unit. She removed the magnet with great care and carried the picture back to the table like a precious treasure, setting it before him. “This is a picture of my husband Sol.”

Davi looked at the picture. The man staring back at him had light brown hair and tanned skin similar to his own, and the same nose and green eyes that looked back at him in the mirror.
My gods! The resemblance is startling. Could this really be?
The resemblance was amazing. No wonder Lura had been excited. Anyone who saw the two men together might guess they were related.

Seeing the look on his face, Lura’s eyes showed her concern. “I’m sorry. I know this must be shocking for you to hear.”

“No, please. Tell me everything,” Davi said, leaning back in his chair and doing his best to relax his face and sound reassuring.

“Twenty-one years ago, there was a decree ordering all first-born sons to be killed. The High Lord Councilor had a dream a worker child would arise to overthrow him,” Lura explained. “The Death Squads began killing all first-born males among our people, on every planet of the solar system.”