Page 50 of Heir of Draga

She checked her rooms one last time to make sure there was nothing else she wanted to bring along. But Colin and the servants had done an excellent job. Nothing had been missed.

Picking up her tray she left her room and paused outside the door as it closed behind her. Joslynn took a deep breath and blinked back tears. This would be the last time she would be in her home, in her rooms, for the goddess only knows how long.

It was more difficult to say goodbye than she’d anticipated. It was just a place after all.

She took the servants’ stairs down to the kitchens and dropped off her tray. The last two maids thanked her and got to work. Joslynn was impressed with how clean and tidy everything was. All the food had been packed up and moved to the starships. There was nothing but dishes left.

Even the stew was being put into containers for later. Joslynn smiled and thanked them for the lunch and nibbled on her bread as she left. It was crusty on the outside, but soft on the inside. The hint of butter was mouthwatering. She grabbed another piece before heading to Colin’s office.

He found her first and updated her on the plans for the businesses, options for other income, and various other bits of information as they walked out to the back field where two starships waited. The housekeeper would lock up the castle and then Joslynn would activate the shield remotely.

Everything was running so smoothly she felt a surge of worry. There’d been few reports of the evacuations. Everyone was doing what they could as quickly as possible, but with the deployments it was not easy to keep track of everything even with the livestream and the updates from the various different locations.

Joslynn was to report to Queen Giselle the second her people left Pedranus. Then again after they’d passed through the shield gate, and one last time when she arrived on Avvis after they’d accounted for everyone.

She assumed all the noble rulers had the same instructions. Any attacks were to be reported immediately, and a distress signal sent out for the nearest legion to assist.

There was a lot that could go wrong, but there was also the very real possibility that the evacuation would go off without a hitch. Colin tried to make her feel better by letting her know how many of their forces were escorting them before they were deployed by the Crown. He urged them along, glancing at the sky in worry.

It had stopped raining briefly, but the dark clouds looked as though they would pour rain down on them at any moment. Joslynn rushed into her starship the Jewel and let Colin lead her to their new quarters.

The Jewel was a much smaller starship than Adelina’s royal flagship, but it held everyone from her seat and the neighboring town. Three thousand people total. The second starship held about the same. It had taken thousands of vessels to evacuate her planet and there were still more to be gathered.

Colin led her into the main room where they would hold the majority of their business and Joslynn finished her bread and sat at the desk in the center of the room. Colin’s desk was off to the side, and there was already someone waiting with hot tea, one of Colin’s assistants.

Her personal sitting room and living quarters were connected so there was no time wasted trying to go back and forth.

She supposed she could have gone to Draga Terra alone with her starship and risked the innumerable suitors, but then she would never have gotten as close to Sirus as she had during those two weeks. And she wouldn’t have had reason to leave with Adelina, arriving even sooner to Pedranus.

At least the military ships were faster, but still not fast enough. It would still take Sirus, Asher, Veri, and their forces another three days to reach Scyria and then another day to reach the border.

There wasn’t much left of Seprilles and Treon any longer and they’d been evacuated right after the attacks. There were only the legions left to guard the border along with the outposts. Joslynn pulled up all the reports necessary and saw there were a bit more that had been gathered from the rural areas. She took the tea from the assistant and thanked him before flipping through to the livestream.

The updates from Seprilles and Treon were gruesome, but it seemed there were more survivors on Seprilles than was originally presumed. Scyria was mid-evacuation as well. It would take them a bit longer to pack up as there were fewer resources there. Joslynn would send aid if she could but there were no starships left to send.

“How much longer until we takeoff?” she asked Colin.

“Another hour, Countess.”

She nodded and tried not to let her exhaustion show. After so long without decent sleep she was dead on her feet.

They got the notice for takeoff and in moments they were in the air. Joslynn activated the shield around her family seat and checked on her cousins. They were already in the caravan thankfully. Living on the other side of Pedranus had its benefits. Currently they were closer to the core, if only by a fraction.

Something shook the Jewel so hard Joslynn’s tea flew and the cup shattered on the floor. She grabbed onto the desk, feeling a sharp pain in her ribs as the wood connected. An alarm went off and scared the living daylights out of her.

“What in all the hells was that?” she demanded.

Colin ran across the room toward her, pulling her with him. “We need to get to Command. The captain will need direction, and I need you somewhere safe.”

Joslynn clutched onto her steward and the only father she ever knew. The ship rocked to the side again and she stumbled. Colin managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Smoke started to fill the air and crew members ran back and forth as sparks flew.

“Countess!” the first mate called, running towards her. “Countess, it is pirates. I think they’re here for the gold and jewels.”

Joslynn gritted her teeth and followed the first mate and Colin to Command. Of course they were here out of all the other planets in the Outer Rim. She’d known this would happen, but had hoped Adelina’s message would have swayed them to stay away.

“What flag do they fly?” she asked. If they had Adelina’s flag she would have to send a message to the princess, warn her before they were attacked as well.

“They fly the jolly roger,” the first mate said, voice grim.

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