Queen of the Savages - Complete (15 page)

"You must drink." The feminine voice was gentle but urgent. Tracy had to struggle to open her eyes. She just wanted to go to sleep.

Someone propped up her head and held a cup of water to her lips. She drank a few sips while her head was supported but then fell back into something soft.

Despite her pounding head, the softness felt good.

"I don't understand what happened," said a masculine voice. "She was fine before we went up in the transport."

Tracy heard the woman mutter under her breath, "Addled-headed men." This brought a slight smile to Tracy's lips.

"My lord, you have enhancements to your body. They help you withstand the stresses of being a tracker, correct?"

"Yes, Lady Essen. Not just me; everyone in our air force has these enhancements."

"So if you were to go up in altitude quickly in an unpressurized cabin your body would have no ill effect?"

"Of course."

"Lady Tracy has no such protection. She suffered altitude sickness."

Tev shook his head in disgust. "I don't know what was wrong with me. My head only cleared when I saw my brother's mate struggling."

The woman thought for a moment. "Do you have any scratches or cuts on your body?"

"Well, there is this scratch on my hand. I don't know where it came from."

"Let me see," said Essen. "Yes, it is unduly inflamed. I would guess, my lord, that the Du representative scratched a bit of his venom into your hand. It is deadly in full doses, but it has a narcotic effect in small amounts. In my training off-world, I saw how the Du healers use their venom to control especially difficult patients, but using it against people is strictly forbidden by their medical practices."

"I was drugged?" Tev sounded horrified.

"Yes, my lord."

"Tracy," said Tev. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If any harm comes to you..."

"Rev will have your ass," replied Tracy with a weak smile. She was gaining an awareness of her surroundings and found she was laying in a soft bed with sheets and pillows of mrina fibers.

"Yes, he will," admitted Tev.

"I guess it's my job to get better then."

"That should be no problem, Lady Tracy," said Essen. "You need to rest in bed with plenty of food and water, but you should be fine in just a couple days."

Rev was ready to tear his hair out.

Tracy and his brother were still missing and certain elements of the council of Kerdos were trying to usurp his authority.

These council lords didn't care a bit about Rev possibly being the Prince of the Aligned Worlds.

What they cared about was how it would affect them. They were worried about their own business concerns and the flow of money, preferably directly into their pockets.

Many of them couldn't stomach the idea that Rev could be involved in a rebellion against the Aligned World government. A rebellion would hurt their business interests, unless they all started manufacturing weapons.

They certainly didn't care that Tracy had a claim on the Vacant Throne. The possibility that Tracy would sit on that throne was as remote as the throne itself.

He stared at those lords now in the middle of yet another interminable meeting. This time they wanted him to banish the rebel forces that had massed behind Endra, the largest moon of their planet. Se-Margen politely put it as "sending the rebels away".

Margen had support from the moderate contingent. The Traditionalists kept their own council because they, like the Progressives, saw what everyone else saw. Margen wanted his daughter, Se-Trila, to mate with Rev, against the wishes of all other parties.

In an almost vulgar display of intent, Trila stood behind her father's chair, as if she were an administrative attendant. She appeared to listened closely to the council discussions while she said nothing about her own ideas in public. From time to time, she'd lay her hand on her father's shoulder when an important point was made and Margen would nod.

It was clear that Trila was a full conspirator in her father's plans.

Rev would have none of it, but in an earlier meeting, Pa-Kregan counseled Rev that the prince had to play his hand carefully.

"The moderates may not have a majority in council, but they control important resources within the Empire. If you anger them our military support could suffer."

More and more, Rev came to appreciate his father's wisdom in leaving governance to his uncle. Rev was beginning to realize that it didn't matter if he or Tev became emperor in name. They would both be needed to control the Council of Kerdos.

The thought did not appeal to him.

The Western Reaches governor, Ac-Taunton, a moderate, asked permission to speak. The portly, elder gentleman stood. His hand shook in his nervousness.

"Your Highness, we are in a grave situation. We must know where you stand. You have the Aligned World representative being held as a prisoner in our palace. Rebel forces are massed in an attack position over our planet. Either you lead Kerdos or not. Either you represent the interests of the Empire of Kerdos or not."

"I represent the people of our empire."

"But you are at odds with the Aligned Worlds," said Margen. "We need an emperor, not a rebel leader. Either you..."

"Either I, what? Are you making demands on me, Margen?"

The other lords started to mutter among themselves.

"If you wish to be emperor, you need a PROPER queen. It should not be someone the Aligned Worlds will punish all of Kerdos for. An emperor thinks of his people first."

"And you think a proper queen is your daughter."

"As a matter of fact, she would be."

"I see. A subject thinks of his lord. Either change your thinking, Margen, or you can walk out of this room. I am happy to strip you of your rank."

"Perhaps this council will declare your brother emperor in absentia."

The council room doors opened, and all eyes turned on the man who dared to enter. Tev stood in the doorway.

"Perhaps not," said Tev.

"Your Highness!" said Margen. "Thank the Goddess. We were worried about you! Your brother-"

"Yes. Rev, causing trouble again, little brother?"

"It seems so."

"I must take this situation in older, more experienced hands."

An audible sigh of relief went up from some of the members of the council.

"Does that mean, my lord," said Margen, "that you've accepted my proposal?"

"I will take your daughter. Se-Trila, come stand by me," said Tev. "We will go to the Priestesses of Endra. Rev, come as a witness. After the priestesses have confirmed the mating, the true emperor of Kerdos will stand in these halls. I trust my lords that the Empire of Kerdos can withstand a few days without its emperor to take care of this important business. Pa-Kregan, I leave you in charge of the Council. Do not make any decisions without us."

"But what about-" started Pa-Kregan.

But Tev turned quickly and left the council hall in long strides, not listening to any comments or questions from the lords. Rev followed him, and Trila trailed behind them.

"Wait, my lord. Wait for me," she said, huffing.

Tev did not. He walked through the halls like a man possessed. Tev led them to military ground transports outside the palace and loaded Trila onto one.

"Aren't you traveling with me?" Trila asked.

"We'll be together soon," he said tersely. "Driver, move on."

He shut the door and locked it. He motioned for Rev to enter another one. Rev looked at the determined look on his brother's face.

"Tev, what's going on?"

"Time is short. Every moment we delay is another chance for the council to start asking questions."

Rev climbed into the transport, and he was disappointed that Tracy wasn't there. Tev climbed in and pounded on the glass between the driver's and passenger section.

"Go!" he said.

"Tev, where's Tracy?"

"Don't be alarmed. She's safe with the Priestesses of Endra. Tracy wanted to come but the healer wanted her to rest."

"Healer!" croaked Rev.

"She's fine. She is at the temple, brother. The Priestesses are waiting there for you to confirm your mating."

Rev cocked an eyebrow at Tev. "So you aren't going to mate with Trila?"

Tev laughed. "You wouldn't wish that on your worst enemy. You don't really wish that on me, do you?"

"Considering how you had me worried to death...maybe."

"I'm sending her to our palace in the Northern Reaches. By the time she gets a message to her father, your mating will be confirmed, and you will be officially the Emperor of Kerdos."

"It may not be that simple. Margen seems to be poised on the edge of a coup."

"Well, that is why we have his daughter as our prisoner."

"You may be left to rule Kerdos anyway. In your absence we've discovered Tracy is a descendant of the Moc-Notons. She is a genetic candidate to fill the Vacant Throne."

Tev stared at him for several, long seconds before he smirked.

"You always did know how to pick the good women."

"Which temple is Tracy at?" asked Rev.

"The Northern Reaches temple," said Tev. "Rev, I have to tell you something. I hope that after I've told you everything you won't hate me, but recently I've learned some things about the Du."

Tev looked at his hands. "This is hard. I know I've given you trouble about Tracy."

"You're not the only one," said Rev.

"But, you see, Ja-Idin Du unduly influenced me with his venom."

"How?"

"It was a scratch on my body. I'm not sure how or when he did it. Maybe a finger nail across my skin. The healer who was helping Tracy saw my hands and told me that the Du can use small amounts venom as a narcotic. It made me unreasonable. Even more unreasonable than normal."

Tev lowered his head, obviously uncomfortable. "I may have touched her inappropriately. I'm sorry, Rev."

After Rev punched him in the mouth, the next sound was Tev's head hitting the side of the car. Tev's face was dripping blood. "Do you feel better now?"

"You know, I think I do. I don't need to know everything, but now you know why we can't trust Du."

"He's the kind of evil we swore as trackers to eliminate." said Tev, wiping his face.

Rev nodded. "Yes, it's not an option to ignore him and play along. He's dangerous. Du hurts people, and we can't allow that."

"You aren't angry with me?"

"You're my brother. I can get angry in a minute, but I can't stay angry with you if I tried."

The trip to Ombrit Air Station proceeded smoothly. The cityscape gave way to wide farming estates on either side of the road. Rev looked at the tidy farms. They all had the same layout. They were graced with wide spaces before the main house. The thought crossed his mind that a place like that would be good to raise a family. He shook his head.

As an officer of the law in a dangerous job, he had never been able to contemplate having a mate or a family before.

"What are you thinking about, brother?"

Tev's question broke his reverie.

"Children," he said quietly.

Tev smiled. "Never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Neither did I."

"They will be a necessity for you, no matter which throne you occupy."

"The irony is neither one of us had the chance for children before because our jobs were too dangerous, but nothing can be more dangerous than holding a throne. You never know who is your friend or your enemy. How do I protect a family from those kind of dangers, Tev?"

"Don't worry. I'll be there. We'll have each other's backs just like always."

The farms gave way to brush, and wild outcroppings became stone. They climbed to the plateau that held the air station. Gazing out of the window, they saw they were nearly there. Rev could see a security fence in the distance, and he tapped his fingers on his leg impatiently. He had been away from Tracy for too long, and he wanted to see her as soon as possible.

A beep sounded through the cab of the transport, and Tev activated the comm to receive an incoming call. The holo projected an image of Pa-Kregan. He hung in the air between them, face drawn with tension.

"Forgive me, my lords. I have bad news. Se-Margen just left here claiming you deceived him. He has called for his reserve troops to intercept you."

"Thank you, Kregan," said Tev. "Understand that we expect the council to honor their commitment to a confirmed mating which will secure the throne."

"Yes, my lords, all the other lords are in agreement."

"They better be," muttered Rev.

"Do what is required to secure the palace," said Rev. "Make sure Ja-Idin Du is held in place. We'll need him in the days to come."

"Yes, my lord."

He switched the holo projection off.

"I'm worried about Kregan," said Rev immediately.

"His loyalty?"

"Yes. Perhaps it was a mistake to leave Du in the palace. Now that I know he can influence people with his venom-"

Rev didn't get a chance to finish his thought.

At that moment a loud noise cracked the air, and the transport jolted, swerving wildly on the road. Rev and Tev bounced inside the vehicle, tossed from side to side.

More bombs hit the ground, spraying dirt and gravel against the transport. Rev watched in horror as a large rock struck the side window. The bullet-proof glass cracked in a web pattern, but didn't break, preventing the rock from entering the vehicle.

To the driver's credit, through the chaos, he kept control of the vehicle. The bouncing stopped.

Tev opened the glass panel. The driver had an iron grip on the wheel of the vehicle. His face was white and he was shaking.

"Did you see what it was?"

"It looked like small missiles, my lord. The vehicle carrying Lady Se-Trila stopped some time ago and troops wearing Se-Margen's colors surrounded it."

"Damn," said Tev. "Someone betrayed us. But who? No one knew my plan."

"I don't know, but there goes our leverage," said Rev.

"That's not going to stop us," said Tev.

"No," said Rev grimly. "Drive as fast as you can," he said to the driver. "We need to make it safely to that airbase."