Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) (31 page)

Angela grabbed him and motioned for two of her men to watch her back. In the powered armor, she had no trouble carrying the burly marine back through the wrecked building.

“Did you have to blow the place up? Nothing they had could possibly scratch your paintjob.”

“Being a marine has a few perks. Blowing shit up is one of them.”

The pinnace was just coming back to the roof as she got there. The ramp was an easy hop from there.

Carl was standing beside a rumpled man who’d been cuffed and strapped to a handy seat. “He didn’t give us any trouble after Lieutenant Riviera offered to land on him.”

“Get more restraints,” she said. “We’ll have a lot more prisoners in a few minutes. I don’t expect we’ll be turning them over to anyone just yet, either.”

“On it.”

The scientist dug more out while she took Talbot to the combat medical area. It didn’t have a regenerator, but it would let her set the broken bone and stop the bleeding. The scanners could also confirm that he had no other injuries that his beacon wasn’t reporting.

“Tell me,” he said.

She popped her helmet and let it swing back behind her. “The heir poisoned the emperor. Then he framed Princess Kelsey and Admiral Mertz. We’re working on figuring out a plan to get them loose.”

“Shit,” Talbot muttered. “This just keeps getting better. We need to get everyone on board and clear out before someone comes looking. I’m sure they called for help.”

Her suit told her the others were making their way back up. They had a few dozen people in custody. Two dead inside and four in the lookout towers. They’d been about to fire something at the pinnace and first squad had taken them out.

“Ten minutes,” she said. “Do an intelligence sweep. Anything we find down there that confirms the heir is behind this might be critical.”

Talbot nodded. “But we scoot the moment we detect someone coming this way. And Angela? Thanks.”

“All part of the service. Let’s get you fixed up before all hell breaks loose.”

* * * * *

Ethan scowled when his com signaled again. Victor. Why did he suspect this was bad news?

It wasn’t a call this time, but a voice message. He played it.

“Highness, they found us.” Somewhere in the background, someone was shooting at something. “I’ll try to get away, but things are looking grim here.”

He stopped the message before it finished. The rest didn’t matter. Once again, Victor had proved to be less than competent. It didn’t matter whether the fool lived or died, so long as he kept his mouth shut doing it.

So, they’d rescued the marine. That hardly mattered when compared to the victory he was about to win.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

They dragged Jared from his cell. It was early morning, by his guess. And perhaps dragged was too strong a word. Politely escorted him with weapons displayed might be more accurate.

His destination was the audience chamber. It held the Imperial Throne. Karl Bandar only used it for traditional times or serious matters. It seemed the new management was more officious. And pompous.

Ethan sat on the ornate Throne with the Scepter on a stand beside him. He didn’t wear the Crown, so the emperor must still be alive.

Jared wondered how long his half-brother would allow that to continue. The heir wasn’t a patient man.

The guards brought Jared up and forced him to his knees when he didn’t go down on his own.

“Have you no respect for the Throne?” Ethan asked with a smirk.

“I’d give my life for it. I simply have no respect for the ass occupying it right now.”

That wiped the expression off Ethan’s face. “You will show me the respect I am due, Bastard. You’re in deep trouble already. Do not make it worse.”

Jared shook his head pityingly. “With you calling the shots, my situation could hardly be any worse.”

“Enough of this. You kneel before me charged with high treason. The attempted murder of your liege. Would you care to make a statement before I judge you?”

“Is this how justice works in the Empire now? The trial is you declaring me guilty? What of evidence? What of testimony? What of my representation?”

Ethan smiled. “Why play out the theater where you claim otherwise? You’ve lost. Take your medicine like a man.”

“You told me before I left on the expedition that you’d eliminate me. You tried to poison me with tainted treats and killed Carlo Vega instead. Now your father is dying of the same thing. I’d say my proof is stronger.”

The heir laughed. “Your lies, you mean. Nothing but hearsay. You probably killed the man yourself. In any case, that’s irrelevant. I’m in charge now. My word is law. I hereby find you guilty of the charge of high treason. The sentence is death. Do you have any last words before the sentence is carried out?”

The main entrance to the hall opened and the sound of arguing voices carried to Jared. He looked back and saw Admiral Yeats striding toward them while other officers argued with the guards. A squad of marines in unpowered armor faced down the Imperial Guardsmen at the door.

Ethan rose to his feet. “What’s the meaning of this? I left orders not to be disturbed.”

“Highness,” Yeats said, bowing his head. “I understand you have one of my officers in custody. As the senior Fleet commander, I’m here to speak with him.”

“The time for speaking is over, Admiral. I’ve found him guilty of high treason.”

Yeats smiled politely. “The Charter requires the Senate to try those guilty of treason. The emperor only lays the charge.

“Oh, and that brings me to another issue. The emperor is not allowed to delegate his participation. Since he is ill, you must wait for his recovery or your coronation to bring the charge before the Senate. Highness.”

Rage contorted Ethan’s face. “How dare you lecture me? I am your liege!”

“Not yet, you aren’t, Highness,” Yeats said firmly. “The Charter sets strict limits to your authority. Fleet and the Imperial Senate will not stand idly by while you flout the law. I will speak with Admiral Mertz. Now.”

“You mean Commander Mertz. I do not recognize that idiotic edict.”

“Unfortunately for you, your father already did. All that remains is for the Senate to verify it was ratified or ratify it themselves. With all due respect, Highness, this little charade is over.”

“And if I were to place you under arrest?”

Yeats smiled. “The Senate is aware of where I am. I speak on their behalf as well. Unless you’d like to see your position as heir debated today, I suggest you step back from the abyss and allow the law to work as our founders designed it. And that applies to Her Highness, as well.”

Ethan snarled, but eventually waved a hand dismissing them.

The admiral helped Jared to his feet and the marines escorted them out of the audience chamber with the Imperial Guard following along behind them. They took Jared back to the detention level and to a conference room. Yeats gestured for the guards to leave and sat down.

He placed a small device on the table. “This will interfere with their monitoring equipment. We should have a few minutes while they address the problem. Are you and Princess Kelsey alright?”

Jared slumped. “I’m better than I was before you showed up. He was going to send me to the executioner right as you walked in. Good timing, by the way.”

“I have contacts in the Imperial Guard. They gave me a heads up. I called a few Senators. No one is happy with what’s going on here. I never suspected the heir to be so rash. Or to try something so iron fisted.”

“I did warn you.”

Yeats nodded. “So you did. How’s the princess?”

“Locked up in the cell next to mine. She’s worried about her father and pissed at her brother. Do you think the Senate will stand up to him?”

“To a point, yes. No one wants to see an emperor gone wild. The balance of powers is there for a reason. The Senate judges matters of treason to keep the emperor from executing anyone he chooses. He’s the one to charge a traitor so that the Senate doesn’t have all the authority.

“So, you’ll have a trial. You and Princess Kelsey both. His people will have to produce some evidence. This highhanded behavior will make the senators cautious. His Highness just made it more likely they’ll validate the edict just to remind him that he isn’t a dictator. And, to be fair, they’re terrified of the Rebel Empire and what war with them means.”

Jared sighed. “I just wish it wasn’t so likely there would be an ‘accident’ here. I don’t want to be ‘shot while trying to escape’ tonight.”

“I’ll see what I can do to make clear that won’t be tolerated.”

The door opened and Yeats pocketed the device as a man came in and looked at the camera. “My apologies, Admiral. The camera in this room appears to be out of order. Would you care to use another one?”

“That’s fine. We’re done here anyway. You can take Admiral Mertz back to his cell.”

Jared stood. “Thank you, Admiral.”

“My pleasure. I don’t want to see anything happen to my most promising officer.” He stared at the guard intently. “If something did happen—to either him or Her Highness—I guarantee the Imperial Senate would put everyone involved under a deep scanner to find out what happened. Pass the word around and save your friends the pain. Do you get me?”

The guard nodded. “I understand and I’ll make sure nothing untoward happens.”

The man escorted Jared back to his cell, and locked him in. The guard’s expression told him that he was taking that very direct warning seriously.

Jared pinged Kelsey as soon as he was alone and filled her in.

The rat! You were right all along. Her mental voice was outraged.

That’s not much comfort if we can’t get out of here. The only hope I’m seeing is your father getting better.

Let’s both pray for that. And that no one else does anything to complicate this even further.

* * * * *

Talbot sat still long enough for them to set his arm and regenerate the rest of the damage. Then he cornered Angela to find out what the situation really was.

“Events have been unfolding,” she said. “Not as drastically as some we’ve faced, but not smoothly. The admiral and princess are in custody, charged with high treason. The emperor is in critical condition, his fate uncertain. Breckenridge is on the loose somewhere. Frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t turn up in our raid.”

“That would have been entirely too lucky. No, he’s up to something else. Probably a chip in the fight to control Fleet. He’d make a great figurehead and a lever for his uncle, the senator. There’s still some kind of surprise working in that area.”

She sighed. “We need to get them loose. The heir has way too much opportunity to see them dead in one way or another. As the princess says, it’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.”

He frowned. “She’s not the best role model when it comes to that kind of thing.”

Angela smiled. “How do we manage to break them out of the most secure facility in the Empire? All we have is the equipment in this pinnace.

“We could get in with the armor, if they didn’t shoot the pinnace down on approach, but burning down the Imperial Palace will win us no friends. Even if everything went according to plan, the odds someone would just shoot them are too high. We can’t risk it.”

He gave the situation some thought. “Are those really all the resources we have? What about Carl? Oh, and congrats, by the way.”

She frowned. “For what?”

“I hear you two are an item.”

She planted her hands on her hips and glared. “Christ! You weren’t even here an hour. He and I are not dating. We did not sleep together. None of that is true.”

He grinned. “That only makes the rumors juicier.”

“Anyway,” she said, ignoring his jibes, “we can get some assistance through
Persephone
. Not for attacking the Imperial Palace, but certainly general statuses on all the crap going on.”

He allowed his expression to go serious. “It would be better if we could get the emperor back on the Throne. I’ll give them a call. Angela, you’ve done a great job. Go see if any of Carl’s tech might help us turn the tide.”

Angela sighed. “I guess that shouldn’t surprise me, but I’m kind of scared what he might do. He’s demonstrated some unexpected backbone.”

“You find out the quality of your friends when the chips are down. There’s more to Carl Owlet than most people suspect. He’s an ace in the hole. Now, go make nice while I see what other fires have broken out.”

* * * * *

Elise stepped into the medical center on
Invincible
and spotted Doctor Stone bent over an unfamiliar instrument. She walked over and cleared her throat. “Doctor.”

The dark haired medical officer looked up and smiled. “Highness. I understand you’re going back down to talk with Senator Breckenridge. I have something I’d like to send with you.”

Elise took a vial of taffy colored liquid from the other woman. “Is this an antidote to the poison?”

“Yes and no. There isn’t an easy way to make an antidote for that particular poison. It has a binding agent that makes it hard to clear out.

“This is a combination of a new drug that will slow its progress and nanites that can repair the damage that it already caused. Together, they offer the emperor a chance to fight this off.”

“Shouldn’t you be taking this down yourself and getting it into him as soon as possible?”

Stone growled with obvious frustration. “The heir has barred all of us from his father and has forbidden any ‘experimental’ treatments. The emperor’s physician doesn’t have the clout to fight him and I can’t just send the data. He can’t make nanites.

“I hear that has a number of senators calling for immediate access to His Majesty, but we don’t have time to waste. People are growing worried and suspicious, but this needs to be smuggled into the Imperial Palace and administered to the emperor now.

“I’m guessing the progress of the poison will be irreversible in less than twelve hours. The treatment we already gave him helped give him more time. Otherwise, he’d already have died.”