Abendau's Heir (The Inheritance Trilogy Book 1) (42 page)

“Heaven forbid,” he said, and she could tell how hard it had been for him to make the small joke. “I need you to add to the pressure. Politically. I plan to take Abendau, and you need to find out what position that will put us in. In the meantime, I have to get the ships in and find somewhere to put your troops; there are no beds here. I’ll also have to figure out how the hell to feed them.”

Now he was talking about the campaign, he seemed more confident. It appeared he was right and it
was
all he could cope with– after they won, they could talk.

“We’ve brought supplies: ship’s rations, uniforms, whatever weaponry we had. There are transports following, too– that should help with the accommodation,” she said, and he nodded his thanks.

“Sir, the clinic? Where do you want it?” asked a sandy-haired man.

Sonly turned at the interruption, then looked at Kare quizzically.

“One of the transports? One that’s not being used for sleeping.” Kare turned to Sonly. “This is Sam Prentice, the doctor; he holds the rank of lieutenant with us. Sam, this is Sonly, my wife.”

“Colonel!” shouted Silom from the other side of the hangar.

“There’s a command meeting in fifteen minutes. I’d like you both there,” Kare said, and walked across to Silom.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Sam said, a little awkwardly. “He talks a lot about you.”

Sonly pulled her eyes away from Kare and realised Sam’s eyes were full of sympathy.

“He’s different,” she said. “From before.”

“Very different. He probably doesn’t know this, but if he’s going to recover, he needs you. He might push you away– if he does, try and stick with him.”

“Can you tell me what they did? I know some of it, but not all.”

Sam shook his head, and he looked guilty as hell. “It’s his to tell and he will, when he can. Come on, I’ll walk over with you.”

They walked to the control room, where Lichio was sitting in one of the swivel chairs. He, too, looked older and thinner but it wasn’t as dramatic as with Kare. He stood, a smile on his face which was, at least, welcoming.

“Lichio,” she gasped. She threw her arms around him. “I was scared you were dead.”

He took her arms down, and hugged her lightly instead. “Me too. We didn’t know if anyone survived.”

Again she put her arms around him, and this time he hissed with pain.

“What is it?” she asked.

Lichio removed her arms. “The remnants of the last whipping the bastards are going to give me.” His voice and eyes were hard, harder than she’d ever imagined him to be.

“They
whipped
you?” she said. She’d known they had, of course. In fact, she knew they’d done worse to him, but hadn’t expected to be confronted by it so vividly.

“Yes, they whipped me. How the hell else do you think they got me to work in a quarry?”

She couldn’t decide if it was a joke or not, until she saw the glint of mischief in his eyes. She started to smile. Behind her, a familiar, deep voice made her jump.

“Kare should have thought of it years ago; it was an excellent motivator for your lazy brother.”

She spun, saw Silom and reached out to hug him. He caught her arms. “I’m with Lich, though. No hugs. Not for a couple of days.”

They both stared at each other, Sonly remembering how he’d been cornered, her baby pulled from his arms. She’d heard Kerra cry and then the shot, and had tried to jump from the transport, but the hatch had started to come up and she couldn’t. She’d screamed Silom’s name, hoping he’d fight them off and reach her. He’d tried, had got past two of them, but there’d been too many.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It wasn’t your fault. You tried to get her away.”

He nodded, and there was something about him: his height, his reliability, maybe, that made her feel things might be all right for the first time since the alarms had ripped through the base.

“Glad everyone’s caught up. Now, let’s get down to work,” said Kare, behind her.

She sat in one of the chairs, watching him check the screens and talk to Silom about troops. He was managing, but she could tell he was struggling: his movements were a little too quick; his eyes were flitting as if he was ready to run; his hand never strayed far from his blaster. Behind him, she noticed an iron ring, and she looked from it to Kare’s scar and it made her nauseous. He turned and leaned against one of the desks, his arms folded.

“We’ve done well for the first day,” he said, “but it will take time before we’re in the position for a ground assault. I want to get the attack plans finalised, and the soldiers prepared. Lichio, transfer to ops-command; the men are used to you as my second. Silom, I need you to run the ground troops; Lyle, you stay with the air units. I have a good idea what defences they have, but I don’t know what ships we’ve got here, our troop capacity.”

Lyle nodded, “I have an inventory of the ships underway.”

“I’ll compile a list of ranks and specialities,” Silom said, and Kare nodded his thanks.

“Do that; we’ll meet again first thing. You can go now.”

Kare waited for them to leave, checked the screens in front of him and leaned back in his chair. Sonly sat beside him.

“You’re doing fine,” she said. He nodded. “Can you take the palace?” He didn’t answer. “Kare, this is like pulling teeth. Can you take the palace?”

“Yes,” Kare said quietly. “I think I can. If I do, where does it put us?”

“When I left, Michael was in liaison with much of the outer rim, and I think they’ll support us. I spoke to the Peiret family. They have been wavering for months, you know that. They’ll back us, if you take Abendau, and I’m sure Tortdeniel will, too. If Balandt come onboard, with their wealth, we can force it through. I’m sure of it.”

“So, that’s the outer rim and three of the families, assuming Abendau is forced to surrender. Not bad for a slave revolt,” he said.

“They had a good leader.” He didn’t respond, and she tried a different tack. “Don’t you need to sleep? You must be tired.”

“I’m not. Sonly, I can do things I never imagined; I feel almost like I’m some sort of superhuman. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t used my psyche for so long, or just I’m not used to it, but I feel like there is nothing I can’t do with my powers.”

A chill ran through Sonly. “Don’t get ridiculous notions. Your mother thinks she’s a god; it’s not a nice family trait.”

He smiled a little at that. “Anyway, what are my options?”

“You’re planning to depose the Empress?” He had to, surely. There was no other option. This was their one chance at Abendau– the Banned didn’t have the army to fight on. But she couldn’t tell him that this was the make-or-break moment, the point where history pivoted. He didn’t need any more pressure.

“I think if I take the palace, her symbolic home, then yes– I’ll be in that position. Especially if you can deliver what you just said.”

“If you depose her, the families will recognise you, and the middle sector will follow. Inter-planetary trading, apart from anything else, is too linked not to. You’ll have your republic.” No matter what Michael said, or the great families. If Kare wanted his mother’s empire razed to the ground, she’d support him in it. She’d support him in anything that would give him peace, and space, and the chance to recover.

“I don’t think it’ll work, not anymore. I’ve seen how the palace works and been with her people. They’re brainwashed. They need someone to take her place and that someone needs to be strong enough to hold them. Bind them to the leader.”

Her mouth fell open, and she stood for a moment, taking in his hard eyes, how they swept dispassionately across the screens instead of meeting hers.

“You’re thinking of taking her place,” she said. “You’re thinking of taking her empire.”

The strangeness of this Kare washed over her. If she’d suggested this to Kare a year ago, he’d have refused it and asked if she wasn’t listening. Now, not only was he considering it, it was likely he could be Emperor.

"Why not?” he asked.

“Because you’ve never wanted it.”

“I do now. Think about it– if I take the empire, we can bring about all the changes we dreamed of.”

“You don’t bring about change by shifting personnel; you have to change beliefs and cultures. You give power back to the people, not take it for yourself.” She paused. “That’s what you’ve been telling me for years.”

“And if they don’t want that? If they actually want a leader, what then?”

“Then, it might be a possibility,” she conceded. “But you need to ask first; you can’t assume.” She reached out, but he avoided her touch. “Kare, you’re in no shape to make that sort of decision. You need to give yourself some time. Some space from– ” She should say it, say the name Omendegon, face it. She’d always been brave. “From what’s happened to you.”

He started to pace. If he’d heard what she’d said, he didn’t show it. “I think it’s the only way I can oust her,” he said. “I’ll use the role to bring about change and give the power back, once I’m sure it’s safe.”

“You know who you sound like, don’t you?”

Kare turned his face away, and Sonly reached out. She touched his chin, bringing his face round to face her.

He pulled away. “Don’t.”

“You sound like your mother.” Maybe he could be shocked into the truth. Maybe then he’d listen, and she could tell him to stop, just stop. That he’d done enough. “I don’t think you’d give it back. I think you’d take what’s left of Ealyn’s son and replace it with your mother’s heir.”

“That’
s not true.”

“Then look at me when you say that.” He didn’t. “Kare, your mother thinks power is there to be taken, that she’s more important than anyone else.” She could see that her words had awakened
something in him. She pushed further. “Kare, what are you afraid of?”

He looked at her and the pain in his eyes made her step back, shocked. He looked like he’d seen every hell there was.

“You have no idea what I’m afraid of, Sonly. Everything. Going back. What can be done to a person. What has been done to me. I have to put myself in the place where she can’t hurt me again. Which means I either hide in a hole or I make myself so powerful, she daren’t.”

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She wanted to reach out to him, hug him and tell him it would be all right, that she would keep him safe. “It’s the wrong reason,” she said, instead.

“Will you stay with me?” He looked at her, his eyes desperate. “If I did, would you stand with me and be my Empress?”

“If you were asking me because it’s the right thing to do, I’d say of course.” If she thought it would make things better for him, she’d seize it with both hands. “But I remember how passionate you were about tearing down her empire, overthrowing it, not taking it for yourself.”

“So, that’s a no then.” He turned away, and she moved forward and put her arms around him. He tensed.

“I want to be with you. I want to support your republic, to stand by your side when you rip down what your mother built,” she said. She’d never imagined not being. Her ears were roaring, she couldn’t think straight, she just knew that somehow she had to reach him. “But it needs to be the right future; I can’t support you if I think it’ll hurt you.” She swallowed. “I
won’t
support you if it’ll hurt you. I never will.” Finally, he was looking at her, and she grabbed his hand. “You are everything to me, and I will never do anything to hurt you. And this is wrong. I can’t say yes.” She reached up and stroked his cheek, his skin harsh under her fingers. She saw him wince and didn’t know if she’d hurt him, or if her words were too much, but she didn’t care. He needed to know.

“I love you,” she said, and then again, “I love you.”

She didn’t move away, and after a moment he took a breath, but it was shuddering. He took her hand and squeezed it gently, before lifting it away. His voice, when he spoke, sounded hoarse and she realised he was barely holding himself together.

“I want our future too, but I don’t know what mine is anymore.”

She left him and walked to the transports. When she remembered how excited she had been to hear he’d escaped and was okay, she cursed herself. Whoever he was now, he wasn’t her Kare, and it was him she wanted, not this shadow. She bit back the tears: she was lucky he was here at all. Still, she couldn’t shake the memory of his eyes watching her, hard and remote and scared.

Silom watched his army forming up in the hangar, pleased at the number of troops. Commander Lyle turned to him. “We have a chance?”

Silom nodded. “A good chance. Taking the Skywalk is key; then we link the palace and port for personnel.”

He turned away, his shoulders still aching, and wished he could take his uniform off to let air at the gashes. He half-smiled– what sort of leader was he, moaning about a couple of lash marks? He cast his eyes over the soldiers, and a corporal came up to him, saluting. “Sir, another personnel list.”

Silom took it, and walked away to read it. He needed to concentrate and couldn’t do it with Lyle beside him.
Liar
. He nodded, half to himself– yes, and a bloody awful one. He turned to the W’s, and saw there were about five. He swallowed, forcing himself to scan down them, as he had every other list that day: Wagh, Wells, Welsh, Wlowski, Woods. He put his hand out, supporting himself against the side of a transport.
Woods, Kymberly.
He looked up, his eyes smarting, and called the corporal over to him. “I want you to bring Sergeant Woods to me.”The corporal left and Silom sat on a set of wheeled stairs leading to the transport’s rear hatch.
She was alive
. He set the document down, his hands shaking. There were footsteps and, like a miracle, she was there, still the same Kym, a rifle slung across her chest, her hair mussed, a helmet held in her other hand. He stood up, blinked, and realised he didn’t have a clue what to say.

“Silom?” she said.

He climbed down the steps. “I didn’t know…” he started, but stopped. He didn’t know if he’d lost her, too. He didn’t know if an attack seeking Kare– Kare, who he’d supported, who he was still supporting– had taken another he loved. She came to him and he found her in his arms, hugging him, causing his lash wounds to flare up, but he didn’t care. He lifted her off her feet and kissed her, deep and slow, and it tasted of toffee, familiar and tantalising. There was a cheer behind him and he half-smiled, before kissing her even deeper and raising a single finger behind her back. The cheers increased and he started to hope Charl had survived too– he was a lucky enough bastard.