Page 43 of Dark Space
‘My father is the aggressor; he wants something I am unwilling to give him. A female I wish to claim for my own.’
Another murmur; this one unhappy. My father had already claimed multiple females, while most of the males in the room had none. I could play on their jealousies, if not their morals.
‘Either his ship will fail, or mine will,’ I went on calmly. ‘But I wished to see my home one last time. To see my people, whom I have been proud to serve as Prince.’
There was a shout, anguished. I swallowed.
‘Should my orb fail, I will remember my people and the planet of my heart. But I also come to you in warning.’ Under thecontrol panel, my fingers dug into my thighs, but I managed to keep the rest of my body – and my expression – still. ‘If the dread gods will my victory and I return home to Scytha, a new era will begin. Some of you will not like it.’ I paused. ‘Some of you will try to kill me. But hear me now: if I return, be prepared for change. I want the Roth remembered for their fairness, not the blood they shed. I would have Scytha spoken of in admiration, not fear. I would have our planet replenish and prosper, not turn to dust and crumble. And I will work to make it so. If I live through this, then the dread gods are with me. Keep that in mind if I return.’ I lifted my chin. ‘For the glory of Scytha is all.’
Half the King’s Room repeated the old call back to me before they realised what they were doing. I shut off the cast, then slumped in my chair.
‘Nice,’ Bryn said. ‘But if you want the dread gods with you, then you best start praying.’
Every step away fromAlcide felt wrong.
The weight settled in my stomach, making it churn.Wrong, wrong, wrong, every instinct chanted. I belonged at my Prince’s side.
Halfway to his quarters, I stopped and leaned heavily on one white wall. I was covered in Roth blood, and I left smears of it everywhere.
‘I can’t do this,’ I said to myself. ‘I can’t leave him. Ican’t.’
I made it to the cell anyway. Anna was asleep, one small hand curled under her flushed cheek. The Tirian doctor was dozing, his head lolling onto his shoulder, his fair hair falling in waves over his eyes. Vesper looked utterly relaxed, letting his head rest against the cell wall.
‘Any news?’ he said softly, before I’d even cleared the glass.
‘We’re holding out,’ I whispered cautiously. ‘Vesper –’
‘I take it you have a final warning alarm.’
I swallowed. ‘Yes.’
‘And if I hear it?’
‘I will unchain you, and trust you to jump Anna somewhere safe.’
He tipped his chin down, his eyes flaring. ‘Just Anna?’
‘If I thought Alcide would go, I’d ask you to take him, too.’
‘But not you?’
I took a deep breath. ‘They come first. Always.’
‘Agreed. And I’m not going to argue about saving my own skin.’
‘I didn’t think you would.’ I crossed my arms. ‘I’d be grateful if you saved the Tirian, but I don’t know how many you can take, and my priority is –’
‘Anna.’ Vesper said her name like a caress. ‘I know.’ He gave me a hard look. ‘It would be easier for me if you and the Prince didn’t live through this. From where I’m sitting, the universe would be better off if the Roth became nothing more than a memory.’ He shook his head. ‘But despite that, I’d be … irritated … if you perished.’ He studied my face. ‘Anna comes first, always. But you could try not to die, if you felt like it.’ He paused. ‘IsCalyour full name?’
‘My name is Callan,’ I answered, surprised. ‘Callan Sandborn.’
He gestured at my uniform; I realised he was looking at my badge of rank. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It means I’m a pilot. Technically, a pilot who graduated in the top section of his class.’
Our eyes locked; the air between us turned heavy. ‘Then try not to die,Callan Sandborn, pilot-who-graduated-in-the-top-section-of-his-class.’ He rolled my first name on his tongue; the sound sent a shiver down my spine.
‘I’ll do my best, Vesper,’ I said softly, and opaqued the glass.
