Page 87 of Alien Prince's Fake Bride
Nerox arches his eyebrows. “Oh, you think I’d kill you, Mareliux? Or the delightful Umbra? No, no. That’s not my style. Violence was always your way, not mine. Granted, you were forced into it at a young age. But I was also forced into things I had no control over. You went to the army, I was left here at court. We are shaped by the lives we had to lead.” He gives the ray gun a final slap. “But that’s neither here nor there. When do you leave again?”
“We’ll see,” I tell him. “We might postpone the reception. I will have to attend to the intrusions into the Empire.”
Nerox takes in the room full of gifts. “Postpone it again? It’s starting to look like you’re keeping Umbra away from the Imperial court. Not a good look for an heir apparent. Almost as if you had something to hide.”
I laugh without joy. “Why would I want tohideUmbra? Look at her! I want the galaxy to know that she’s mine. But even more than that, I want her to stay safe. And when it comes to that, the Imperial Court is the worst place I can imagine. And court receptions… well, I don’t think I have to remind you.”
Nerox looks Umbra up and down. “You don’t. And I don’t blame you for that sentiment. I mean, after the experiences you had. Did he tell you, Umbra?”
“My husband has told me many things,” Umbra says coldly. “Inprivate conversations.”
He nods approvingly. “She’s loyal, Mareliux. I wonder if you haven’t found a real gem in this alien. I will see you around. And you, Umbra.” He throws the cape behind him again in a dramatic flourish and saunters out of the room, ushering the girls ahead of him.
“Sorry about that,” I growl. “I sometimes don’t know what to make of him. He’s changed. He grew up in the palace and has acquired all the qualities needed of a courtier and a slike. It’s not his fault, really.”
“Darient told me about the things that happened to you two,” Umbra says thoughtfully. “You both had tough lives. I think he just did what he had to stay alive.”
“I suppose so.” I walk over to a stack of fabrics and flick through them. “Later I would like to know what exactly Darient told you. Nerox has a point, though. Ishouldpresent you properly to the court.”
“Then do so,” Umbra says firmly. “Announce that there will be a reception tomorrow, but don’t tell anyone the place or exact time. Decide both randomly at the last minute, then give everyone a short time to get there. It will be really difficult for them to plan an attack if they don’t know where or when. Oh, that’s very fine.” She takes a sheet of fabric between two fingers.
“Looks like Nibasian fabric,” I tell her. “From Nibasia, believe it or not. It’s known for its fineness. Yes, good idea. That’s what we’ll do. And then… well, I have to say this has gone better than I thought. You’re dealing with the courtiers and the Emperor better than I ever have.”
“I like it here,” Umbra says as she spins the wheel of a gold contraption of some kind. “The Emperor didn’t seem to hate me,Darient is nice, your brother is entertaining. And I’m starting to control the Syntrix better.” She stares at a long saber and lifts it with Syntrix, then makes it hover. “Do you think it’s because of the Tentacle Throne being so close?”
“Possibly,” I tell her as I examine a sculpture that shifts color in a hypnotic display. “But I think it’s just that you’re getting used to it. The practice is paying off.”
“That’s probably it,” Umbra agrees and lets the saber drop. She lifts a crystal case the size of her head and peers through it. “Ugh. Is that a?—”
There’s a rattling sound from the empty fireplace, and something drops into the iron grille.
“Grenade!” I yell when I see the ugly metal ball.
34
- Umbra-
Mareliux grabs me and pulls me to him, so that he shields me from the thing that dropped.
But I’m faster. The moment I see the metal thing come to rest in the ornate fireplace, I wish it away, wanting it to go back the way it came. It immediately zooms back up the chimney.
There’s a little bang, then a much louder crash as all kinds of debris and soot comes dropping down into the fireplace. A sooty black cloud starts to spread.
“That explosion was too weak,” Mareliux says into my ear as he drags me to the door, where we meet Caret’ax as he’s storming in.
“Stay out!” the prince commands. “Gas grenade! Evacuate the palace!”
He lifts me into his arms and runs with me through halls and chambers and corridors until we’re outside. Caret’ax is right behind us, and on the way we warn everyone to get out. Soona wailing alarm is blaring, and the palace staff is pouring out of every door. There must be thousands of them, including guards that form a circle around us, facing out. Everyone’s staring up at the roof of the palace, but there’s no movement there.
“Gas grenade, dropped into the chimney from the roof,” the prince sums up as he lets me down on my feet. “If you hadn’t tossed it right back up, the explosion would have spread poison gas in the room faster than we could get out. We’d be dead.”
“That’s the third attempt in three days,” I state. “I’m starting to wonder if someone is annoyed with us.”
Just for fun I hold out one hand to see if it shakes. It’s rock steady. My heart rate isn’t even that high. That Syntrix thing is making me really confident.
Prince Nerox comes sauntering over with a grin on his face. “This is fun! I wish you two would spend more time on Khav. So many things happen when you’re here.”
“Wipe that smile off your face,” Mareliux growls. “If Umbra hadn’t reacted so fast, we’d both be dead. You’re just lucky you didn’t stay longer.”
