Blood of Dragons E-Book

Jack Campbell

• Herausgeber: JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: The Legacy of Dragons
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 609

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Twenty years after the war that overthrew the Great Guilds, the Empire is vowing to avenge the massive defeat of the Imperial legions at Dorcastle. Aiding the Imperials are renegade Mechanics and Mages still loyal to the old Guilds or employed by the Empire. But before they can launch an all-out war, the Imperials must eliminate a major threat: Kira, daughter of Master Mechanic Mari and Master of Mages Alain. Kidnapped and imprisoned, Kira has to escape and avoid recapture as the full might of the Empire is aimed at her. Her only hope lies in the skills she has mastered; her indomitable spirit; and the unfailing aid of Jason, her boyfriend from the distant world of Urth. With the Imperial legions closing in and thousands of lives riding on her efforts, Kira has to use every weapon available to her, including special abilities she has kept secret until now - abilities that may prove to be as dangerous as the enemy forces. Mari and Alain must come to Kira's aid and work to create an alliance against the Empire. If they fail, a deadlier new war will erupt, with every soldier carrying a rifle instead of a sword or crossbow - and the Peace of the Daughter will end in a bloodbath. "A fun and action packed adventure ... Steampunk and fantasy are probably two of my most favorite genres so it's always fun to read a book that mashes them together in interesting ways." - The Arched Doorway

Leseprobe

Blood of Dragons

Copyright © 2017 by John G. Hemry

All rights reserved.

Published as an ebook in 2017 by JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.

Originally published as an Audible Original in August 2017.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Cover art by Dominick Saponaro

eISBN 978-1-625672-92-6

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Also by Jack Campbell

Acknowledgments

I remain indebted to my agents, Joshua Bilmes and Eddie Schneider, for their long-standing support, ever-inspired suggestions and assistance, as well as to Krystyna Lopez and Lisa Rodgers for their work on foreign sales and print editions. Many thanks to Betsy Mitchell for her excellent editing. Thanks also to Robert Chase, Kelly Dwyer, Carolyn Ives Gilman, J.G. (Huck) Huckenpohler, Simcha Kuritzky, Michael LaViolette, Aly Parsons, Bud Sparhawk and Constance A. Warner for their suggestions, comments and recommendations.

To Sarah Damario, whose spirit sings bright and strong.

For S, as always

Chapter One

“Kira!”

Seventeen-year-old Kira of Pacta Servanda paused with her saber held in a guard position and yelled a reply. “I’m busy fighting!”

She shifted to attack, beating aside the blade of her opponent.

He managed a riposte that almost got past Kira’s parry.

Without pausing, Kira ducked inside his attack and stopped with her blade poised near his neck. “Yield?” she asked, breathing hard from the duel.

Jason of Urth laughed, spreading his arms in surrender. “Okay, dragon slayer, I lost. What’s my penalty?”

“Kiss me.”

“That’s no penalty.”

She was lost in the feeling of Jason’s lips on hers when someone nearby made a loud throat-clearing sound.

Kira jumped back, glaring at her mother. “A little privacy?”

Master Mechanic Mari of Dematr, the woman known to her world as the daughter of Jules, pirate queen, dragon slayer, the woman who had raised and led the army that freed their world from the domination of the Great Guilds and since then used her vast popularity and moral authority to prevent further wars, looked around at the open land surrounding their home, waving toward the sea coast visible to the south. “You’re in our yard, Kira. The patrols around the house could see you. Passing ships could see you.”

“I was just giving Jason a lesson in sword fighting.”

“Yeah. Sword fighting,” her mother said with a glance at Jason, who was looking at the ground, embarrassed. “It seems to be going pretty well. Listen, you know we’ve got a big dinner tonight. You two need to be ready for it.”

Kira held out her own hands in mock surrender. “We’ll stay out of the way,” she promised.

“No, you won’t. Both of you will attend the dinner, and the discussion afterwards.” Mari paused to look around again, her dark Mechanics jacket open so that the pistol holstered underneath it could be seen. Kira had rarely seen her mother without the weapon. While loved by the great majority of the population of the western parts of her world, Mari still had plenty of deadly enemies who needed always to be guarded against.

Kira had a similar pistol, and a similar holster that she wasn’t wearing at the moment. She had grown up knowing that her mother's enemies would also target her if given the chance.

“Dress is casual,” her mother said. “This is just a gathering of friends who happen to have tremendous political power. Don’t wear your Lancer uniform, Kira.”

“I thought Queen Sien was one of the guests.”

“She is, but you need to be present as my daughter, not as one of her officers, even an honorary one. We’re keeping this informal. Asha has already arrived. She’s—”

“Over that way with Father,” Kira said. “I could feel it when she got here.”

Her mother didn’t say anything, watching Kira with concern, then shook her head. “Dinner. Be ready. On time.”

“Yes, Lady Mari,” Kira said. “The wish of the daughter of Jules is as good as an order.”

“I only wish my own daughter really felt that way.” Her mother smiled, then walked away.

Kira waited until her mother was a good ways back toward the house. “I wonder what that’s about?”

Jason scratched his head. “Have you been part of the group at your mother’s dinners before?”

“No. Or maybe just the dinner and not the discussion afterwards. Queen Sien is coming, and Mage Asha is already here, and Master Mechanic Lukas. I heard Jane of Danalee will be here, too. There must be something very important they want to talk about.”

“Who’s Jane of Danalee?”

“President of State of the Bakre Confederation, second only to President in Chief Julan. And there’s Aunt Alli and Uncle Calu, too, since you came down here with them. Has it been all right, staying in Danalee with them? I wish you could be here all the time.”

“Me, too,” Jason said. “But not if I had to live in the same house with you as sort of a brother.”

“That would be too weird,” Kira agreed. She sat down in the grass, her sword across her lap, waiting while Jason joined her. “You don’t mind having to attend as well?” she asked.

“Not if your mother needs me there,” Jason said, laying his own saber over his legs. “Your parents have been so great, accepting me the way they have, and taking time for me even with all their responsibilities.”

“They know that you’re important to me, Jason,” Kira said.

“How important?”

She gave him a disapproving smile. “You’re not supposed to push. It’s only been six months since you got left on Dematr. But I will tell you that I am pretty sure that I'm getting to like you more every day.”

“In that case,” Jason said, grinning, “I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“Do you have any regrets? About staying on this world?”

“With you? No.”

“What about not counting me?” Kira asked.

“No,” Jason repeated. He looked at the world around them. “I wanted to stay here, remember? On Earth, I was an unhappy kid who had never done anything with his life and never expected to do or be anything, with parents who spent half their time putting down each other and the other half putting me down. Here…besides you—and it’s really hard not to count you—I’m seen as sort of special, and I get to see steam locomotives and sail on sailing ships and ride horses with that cavalry unit you belong to and see a world that isn’t overcrowded and over-tired, and meet people like your mother and father.”

Kira looked at him, remembering that not much more than six months ago she would have flared with rebellious and insecure anger at mention of her mother. “I can understand wanting to escape the control of those awful parents of yours, but being with me isn’t all sunshine and flowers. I mean, you almost got killed, too, a few times. And I’ve got Mother’s temper.”

“You’re worth it,” Jason said, smiling at her.

“Stop it. But not until after you’ve kissed me again. Then we need to go into the house and start getting ready. Father still can’t read a clock, but when Mother says on time, she means it.”

* * *

Conversation during dinner kept to mild topics. Questions to Jason about far-off Urth that he patiently answered, talk about local events in Tiae and the Bakre Confederation, the latest weapon designs in Master Mechanic Alli’s workshops, and reminiscing about some of the less stressful events during the war against the fallen Great Guilds. Kira stole glances at the others as she ate. All of the Mechanics wore their customary dark jackets over nice but not fine shirts and the sturdy trousers of engineers. The dark jackets had once symbolized membership in the Guild that Mari had destroyed, but Mechanics still took pride in wearing the distinctive garment. The Mages, her father Alain and Asha, wore traditional Mage robes. Queen Sien was in loose trousers and shirt, a long coat over them, like any citizen of Tiae might wear. President Jane of Danalee’s working suit was the nicest garment at the table. As her mother had said, this was simply an informal gathering of friends, the sort of friends who had immense power to direct the course of the West and thereby much of the world of Dematr.

Afterwards, they went into the living room to talk. Everyone settled back in their seats on one of the sofas or chairs. There weren’t enough to go around so Kira and Jason sat on the floor in one corner of the room, Kira feeling both excited and intimidated to be part of such a group. “Let’s start with the Imperial ships on their way to Tiae,” Kira’s mother said. “Lukas, I understand you have some inside information.”

Master Mechanic Lukas, old but still sharp, was one of the most experienced Mechanics in the world. Any Mechanic he didn’t personally know was probably known to someone else he did. Lukas rubbed his brow as he thought before speaking. “Yeah, Mari, the Gray Squadron. That’s the name the Imperials are giving the five ships that are conducting supposed ‘friendship visits’ across the Sea of Bakre before heading south into the Umbari and visiting more ports in the Confederation and Tiae.”

“How good are the ships?” Queen Sien asked.

“Good enough. Metal hulls and decks. Most of the stuff on them is state-of-the-art for what we can reliably build now. They’ve each got two boilers feeding into a single stack, and from what I hear enough coal storage for them to be able to go from the Sharr Isles to Tiaesun without refueling.”

“That’s a long haul,” Mari said.

“Yeah. I imagine they’d be scraping the bottoms of the coal bunkers by the time they got here.” Lukas shrugged. “They’re the pride and joy of the new Imperial fleet. Everyone knows the so-called friendship visits are actually aimed at intimidating every place they stop. And they are pretty intimidating. One medium-heavy gun in an enclosed mount on the bow and two medium-caliber guns, one in an open mount forward and the other on the stern.”

“That’s enough to be trouble,” said Master Mechanic Alli.

“Yup,” Lukas confirmed. “Individually, they’re no match for the big gun ships being built by the Confederation and the Alliance. But all five of those new Imperial ships together would give the two Confederation big gun ships a tough battle.” He smiled at Alli. “I had a look at the Julesport, Alli. You did some fine work on the heavy guns on those ships.”

“I have some great people working with me,” Alli said. She grinned. “Of course, I’m pretty good myself.”

Her husband, Mechanic Calu, leaned forward. “How good are the Imperial guns?”

“Nothing to match Alli’s work, but good enough. You wouldn’t want to tangle with all five of those ships. Which is why the Empire is sending them around to overawe everyone.”

“The Imperials are getting more aggressive,” Mari said. “It’s been building. The Imperial legions have always been tough opponents, and now all the front-line legions are fully equipped with rifles. The last time I talked to Camber he told me that sentiment in the Empire is growing that they lost the War of the Great Guilds because of some tricks by the West and a loss of resolve by the legion commanders.”

“They took hideous losses at Dorcastle,” Calu said. “I’ll never forget seeing all the bodies that hadn’t been collected yet. I still get nightmares about that.”

“I’ll trade you for my nightmares about Dorcastle,” Mari said.

“No, thanks. My point is, how can anybody in the Empire pretend that didn’t happen?”

“They remember the losses, Calu. What they call the heroic losses, which they increasingly claim were caused by the actions of the legion generals at Dorcastle. They blame the defeat on betrayal, saying that without that the legions would have triumphed.”

“Huh.” Everyone turned to look at Jason. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“What is it?” Kira’s father asked. Master of Mages Alain, arguably the most powerful Mage in the world, and the wisest as far as Kira was concerned. “Tell us your thoughts, Jason.”

“It’s just like history back on Earth,” Jason said, with an anxious look at Kira that she replied to with an encouraging smile. “There was something called World War One. Millions of dead, and one of the countries that started it got beaten. But a generation later, that same country helped start World War Two, because they decided they hadn’t really lost. Their armies had been somehow betrayed.”

“How many died in the World War Two?” Alain said.

“A lot more millions,” Jason said. “Tremendous devastation. I mean, the guys who started it paid a horrible price, but so did other countries.”

Queen Sien nodded in understanding. “They did not forget the losses in the first war, but they convinced themselves a second try would end differently. This is what the Imperials are heading for?”

“It’s crazy,” Calu objected. “If the Imperials attack anybody, Mari will call for action and everybody else will come down on them. The Imperials could beat any country in the west individually. But they can’t win if the Confederation, the Western Alliance, the Free Cities, and Tiae combine forces. I’m no military expert and I can see that. And they will combine forces under Mari’s leadership.”

“You have identified our vulnerability in the west,” Sien said: “Mari. If she is not there to unify us, old rivalries and new fears might prevent a combined response until the Empire achieves the gain it seeks.”

Kira stared at Mari, worried. “They’re going to go after Mother again?”

“That might have been their plan once,” Jane said. “To somehow neutralize the daughter. But things have grown more complicated for the Imperial plotters.”

Jane of Danalee had been Bakre Confederation President of State for eight years. As a veteran of the siege of Dorcastle, one of those who had stood on the last wall with the daughter to halt the Imperial legions despite impossible odds, Jane could be sure of being reelected as long as she wanted the job.

“Something important has changed,” Jane added. “Kira.”

Everyone looked at her. Kira, wishing that she knew a way to sink through the floor and out of sight, tried to hold her expression rigid, since she had no idea how she was supposed to react.

“If you had asked me about Kira’s status in the Confederation a year ago,” Jane said, “I would have told you that many people had hopes that she would in some small way be able to fill the shoes of the daughter if Mari was no longer able to do so. But there was also skepticism and concern. Aside from her youth, she is not Mari. She did not hold the wall. She is not the daughter of the prophecy. If Kira had called for the army in the name of the daughter, had asked for joint action in the name of the daughter, there would have been confusion, uncertainty, delay, and debate.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement, their eyes on Jane now, while Kira looked around at them, uncomfortable at being the subject of the conversation and trying to guess at the thoughts of the others.

“But,” said Jane, “after the events surrounding the visit of the ship from Urth, perceptions of Kira have altered dramatically. She is a dragon slayer, one who did the deed in hand-to-hand combat, surpassing even her mother in that. The stories of what she did at sea keep growing in stature. She was seen facing down the people from Urth alongside her mother and father. And, judging from the stories being passed around, while she was in hiding from the Urth ship Kira seems to have encountered half the population of the Confederation, the Free Cities, and Ihris, all of whom claim she acted with all the courage, grace, wisdom, and common touch that her mother is famous for.”

“Jane,” Kira’s mother sighed. “Let’s keep it real.”

“That’s your reputation, Mari. And now to some extent it’s Kira’s as well. The world hasn’t fully embraced her as a successor to you, but it is a lot closer to doing so. If you were out of the picture, and Kira called today, the army might hesitate, but I believe it would come and answer to her. The Bakre Confederation would listen, the Free Cities would listen, and even the Western Alliance would likely be swayed.”

“Tiae would also answer,” Sien said.

Kira swallowed nervously, reaching to grasp Jason’s hand with her own. The idea of most of the world listening to her, doing as she asked, was almost overwhelming.

Queen Sien’s gaze went from Mari to Kira. “The Empire will have noticed that change.”

“Exactly,” Jane agreed. “Which means those in the Empire who want war know that they can’t just try to neutralize the daughter. They also have to neutralize Kira, or she could become the new daughter and frustrate their plans.”

“Which explains the renewed push for an engagement with an Imperial prince,” Mari said. “There's no attempt at subtlety. The Empire wants Kira engaged to Prince Maxim and they want it now. There's a clear message that if the world wants peace, the daughter should agree to the arrangement, and if she does not, it will be her fault if a major war erupts. But they're also still trying to persuade her. The presents the Empire is sending Kira keep getting bigger.”

“And more embarrassing,” Kira added. “That jeweled bracelet they sent last month! Who would wear something like that? It was big enough to serve as armor for my lower arm!”

“Did you write them a nice note when you sent it back?” Alli asked, grinning.

“I told them again to stop sending me stuff! The Imperial household has been sending me gifts since I was born. You’d think by now they’d have figured out that gaudy jewelry and expensive clothes are not the way to impress me!”

Mari shook her head. “Jane, Camber has told me that he is advising the emperor that renewed war would be folly, and that Kira is very unlikely to change her mind about marrying into the Imperial household.”

“Camber is old,” Jane said. “So is the emperor. What they say and what they believe has less and less impact. The likes of Prince Maxim are operating with more freedom. Maxim has gathered support in the Imperial household by promising to elevate the Empire in its rightful, superior, place in the world now that the Great Guilds can no longer restrain it.”

Lukas also shook his head, frowning. “I can't be the only one here who's heard that the remnants of the Mechanics Guild inside the Empire are also pushing for war. They want the common people to kill enough of each other to give the Guild a chance to reclaim power over the world.”

“That's insane,” Calu commented. “Technical knowledge has become too widespread, and the commons would never accept the Guild's control again.”

Queen Sien shrugged. “Those who want something badly can easily convince themselves that even the most foolish plan could work. And we saw in Tiae that those who believe they have lost much are willing to risk everyone else losing much more in the hopes that they can climb to the top of the rubble of whatever remains. What of the Mages?”

Mage Asha made a small gesture of uncertainty. “The majority continue to explore new wisdom. Others cling to the past, but we have no information that they have gathered around new leaders. Those who favor the old wisdom fight bitterly among themselves, even though their hatred for Master of Mages Alain and the daughter of Jules has not faded.”

“But will they willingly aid the Empire?”

“Their services may be bought, but they also hate imperial arrogance and being ordered about by commons. Such Mages will willingly help sow the seeds of chaos among commons and Mechanics, but Mage Dav has heard nothing of any single effort that gathers those Mages hostile to the changed world,”

Jane nodded, one hand rubbing her arm where it been badly injured during the war. “The remnants of the Great Guilds cannot be discounted, but for now the real power still lies with the Empire's forces and powerful imperials like Maxim. All of them know the biggest obstacle facing them is the daughter, and now also the daughter of the daughter. Like it or not, Kira has surely become involved in Imperial plans.”

“Kira just turned seventeen a few months ago,” Mari said, frowning with unhappiness.

“She is also the daughter of you and Alain,” Queen Sien observed. “At seventeen, I was dealing with some extremely serious challenges, Mari.”

“I’m not you, Your Majesty,” Kira said. “I’m not my mother.”

“You have proven yourself to be a worthy daughter of your father and your mother,” Sien said. “The question is, how can we convince the supporters of Prince Maxim that any plan aimed at you and your mother cannot work?”

“They can’t think I would ever agree to marrying Maxim!”

“You are officially unattached,” Sien said. “As long as you are free of commitments to another, they can imagine that they could come up with a way to convince you or force you to marry Prince Maxim.”

Kira shuddered at the idea, aware that the others in the room, powerful people with immense experience in the world, were watching her. Not indulgently, but with the interest of people expecting her to say something worth listening to. It almost rattled her too much to keep speaking. “What if I made a public statement that I would never marry into the Imperial household? That I thought doing so would, um, compromise my mother’s impartiality and any future position I might have?”

“In most cases, that would be wise,” President Jane said. “But with you, that denial would be regarded within the Empire at least as proof that you wanted to marry into the Imperial household.”

“What?”

“You have to understand, Kira. You’re evil.”

“I’m evil?”

“I’ve been trying to warn people about her for years,” Mari commented. “Nobody believes me.”

Kira made a face at her mother as the others laughed.

“In all seriousness,” Jane continued, “you know who many Imperials think you are and who your mother is.”

“Mara?” Jason said without thinking, then cringed as Kira bent an angry look at him and Mari sternly shook her head his way.

“Yes,” Jane said. “She Who Must Not Be Named In This Household. The undead courtesan allegedly seeking to reestablish her role next to the Emperor’s throne, once again pulling the strings of power as she did long ago, and with an endless supply of young men available to feed her appetites, their blood keeping her young and beautiful. The Imperials believe that everything you do and say is in the service of that goal.”

“How can insisting I don’t want that mean that I do want it?” Kira said.

“You’re evil! Just because they can’t explain or understand your plans doesn’t mean you aren’t plotting to do something evil!”

“Then why does Maxim want to marry me?”

“Because he claims that he can control you and neutralize you, just as Emperor Maran supposedly once did with…you know who,” Jane said. “By binding you under his control, he will ensure that the Empire is safe from you.”

“He claims to be a new Maran, and they are painting Kira as a threat,” Alain said. His voice was impassive, in the way of a Mage, but Kira could still sense the underlying anger and worry that her father couldn't hide. “An active threat to the Empire.”

“Of course. The last thing they want is for Kira to become well regarded within the Empire. And you know Imperial thinking. You are with them, doing as they command, or you are against them. There is no middle ground.”

“Perhaps war at this time would not be the worst outcome,” Sien said. “If the Empire intends war, we should force it upon them on our terms.”

Mari shook her head. “You know how powerful the Empire is, and what war can do.”

“I have far too much personal experience with it,” Sien said. “But I also have personal experience with what happens when those intending harm are not countered before they grow even more powerful.”

Master Mechanic Lukas, lounging back in his seat, looked at Alain. “What do the Mages think? Are there any prophecies or visions?”

Alli laughed. “Master Mechanic Lukas, you are one of the last I ever expected to ask about that.”

“I’m a practical man, Master Mechanic Alli,” Lukas said, “which means if I see something that works, I don’t deny the evidence just because I can’t figure out how it works. I work with it.”

Alain answered. “I have been speaking with Mage Asha since she arrived. She brings word of many visions that have been told to Mage Dav. There is…confusion.”

Asha nodded, her expression solemn. “Normally, foresight offers images that are consistent. What one Mage sees, others will see as well, if they have connections to the same people or events. But now visions come and contain clashing images. One Mage sees something that seems clear, but another sees something far different. Sometimes the same Mage sees images that contradict.”

“Why?” Mari asked. “What’s changed?”

“Many of the images have one person in common. My uncle, Mage Dav, believes the answer lies in that person.” Her eyes, as brilliant and striking as ever, settled on Kira.

A moment of startled silence followed Asha's words. Kira looked at her father, seeing the worry in his eyes.

Mari spoke with the forced calm that Kira knew meant her mother was very upset. “What has Kira been seen doing? What’s happening to her?”

Asha paused before replying. “Many…difficult…things.”

Kira inhaled sharply, the sound breaking through the renewed silence that followed Asha’s statement. “I would have liked hearing about that before now.”

“The visions cannot all happen,” Asha said. “Some see her in the Imperial court, in the robes of a consort.”

“They see what?” Mari demanded. “Alain, why wasn’t I—”

“He was just told.” Asha’s eyes were on Kira again. “Others see her…entering the next dream.”

“Dying?” Kira barely got out. “I’m going to—”

“These are not things that will be,” her father broke in. “They are things among many. They cannot all occur. Other visions show Kira happy and well, crowds cheering her, or simply living her life. In a boat, for example.”

“Her future is entangled with the Empire,” Asha warned. “But how that will work out is impossible to say. Nothing is clear. Jason is also seen. Sometimes.”

“What’s being seen of Jason?” Calu asked, concerned.

“The same. Many possible futures, some good, some bad.”

“H-how bad?” Jason asked.

Asha’s eyes rested on him. “As bad as the worst of Kira’s.”

“What about the good ones?” Alli said.

“As good as the best of Kira’s. And many that show alternatives between those two. But many are…difficult.”

Queen Sien looked from Kira and Jason to Alain and Asha. “This is not how I have been told foresight works. What does it mean?”

“I think,” Kira’s father said, speaking slowly, “it means that normally the choices of an individual matter in what may come to pass. What they choose to do. But their choices are limited by who they are.”

“How does that explain things?” President Jane asked.

Alain’s eyes rested on Kira. “If someone contains more than one potential, if someone can act in different ways that no other could, it would create differing possibilities. If she makes use of one set of choices from one…aspect of herself, futures would flow from that. If she makes use of choices from another aspect, different futures could come into being. And if she somehow can draw on both aspects, mingling possibilities, the futures become mixed and uncertain.”

“What are you talking about? I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what could make Kira so different in terms of her possible future actions.”

Mari sighed. “Kira, there are two people here who aren’t aware of something important about you. I would like to tell them, but only if you’re all right with that.”

Kira looked up at the ceiling, reluctant but knowing that her mother would not have asked without good reason. “If you think you need to.”

“Lukas, Jane, this is something that’s been kept to just a few of us. I have to ask that you not share it with anyone else. We’re talking a major secret regarding my family that must not be revealed.” They both nodded in agreement. “Kira has manifested Mage powers.”

Lukas frowned. “I saw her practicing with her pistol earlier.”

“Yes. She’s primarily a Mechanic. But she also has some Mage powers.”

Jane leaned forward, studying Kira, as Kira tried not to flinch from that examination. “That’s what you meant, Alain? That Kira could act as both a Mechanic and a Mage? I can see how that would create a unique set of problems in predicting her actions and outcomes,”

"It creates very different possible actions and outcomes,” Alain said.

“But how is it possible?”

“We don’t know,” Kira’s mother said. “The differences between the way someone with Mage powers has to view the world and the way a Mechanic views the world are, as far as we know, so vast as to be completely incompatible.”

“What powers are we talking about?” Jane’s eyes were still fixed on Kira, as if some outward sign might answer her question.

Kira answered, not liking the sense of being a curiosity on display. “Some foresight, in different forms. I can sense Mages and spells being cast. And once I was able to overlay a small illusion on the world. That’s all.”

Jane shook her head in amazement. “I’ve heard some rumors that Kira displayed Mage powers during the incidents involving the ship from Urth. But everyone I know of is discounting those rumors, especially the Mages, because Kira has been publicly demonstrating Mechanic skills.” She looked at Asha. “Have either of your daughters shown this?”

Asha shook her head in turn. “No. Devi leans toward the Mechanic arts. Ashira has growing Mage powers. Neither can do both.”

“It’s not causing you any problems?” Lukas asked Kira.

Kira smiled reassuringly. Gruff old Master Mechanic Lukas had always had a soft spot for her, and Kira had always returned those feelings. “No. I’ve been fine. The powers have been…I guess quiet is the right word, for the last few months. They’re still there. I’ve been working hard with Father on ways to block my…my Mage presence from the awareness of other Mages.”

This time Asha nodded. “I could not sense you at all when I arrived, Kira. I asked your father if your powers had vanished.”

“Really? Thanks. But, uh, no, it hasn’t caused any problems.”

Jason spoke up, frowning. “Um, Kira, you did seem kind of disoriented a couple of times when you used them.”

“I was really exhausted, Jason. That’s all.”

Kira noticed everyone giving her more concerned looks and wished that Jason hadn’t gotten over-alarmed again.

“What do you mean by disoriented?” Lukas asked Jason.

“Kira seemed to have trouble understanding me, or knowing what to do. It only lasted for a real short time.”

“That does sound like extreme tiredness.”

“See?” Kira said. “I’m fine.”

“Is there anything besides Kira that the foresight visions have in common?” Queen Sien asked.

“Many visions show war,” Asha said. “And in those visions both Mari and Kira appear prominently.”

Mari ran both hands down her face. “Haven’t Mages been seeing the possibility of war, and me appearing prominently, for the last twenty years?”

“Yes.”

“What about mountains? Has Kira been seen in the mountains? Alain had a vision six months ago of her and Jason being chased through mountains somewhere.”

“Yes,” Asha said. “Visions have seen her in the mountains, on open lands, on the sea, in the sea, in the air, on a horse, walking, climbing, falling…”

“The girl gets around,” Alli said. “Just like her mother.”

“We cannot say which of these future visions actually portray events which will happen. Kira’s nature has made the future too hard for even foresight to see clearly.”

“You know,” Kira said, “this isn’t my fault. I’m not messing with the future on purpose.”

“We know that,” her father reassured her. “But your unique nature has created a unique mix of possible outcomes.”

President of State Jane spread her hands imploringly. “A lot hinges on what Kira does or does not do. Do the visions offer the slightest clue as to what we should do?”

“No,” Alain said. “Anything we do because of them could be exactly the wrong thing.”

“Then why not try to disrupt the Empire’s plans?”

“I think that would be wise,” Kira’s father said.

“Without unduly exposing Kira,” Mari added.

“I have some ideas,” Sien told the others. “I would like to discuss them one on one.”

“All right,” Mari said. “Let’s…” She paused, looking toward Jason and Kira. “Jason? Is there something you need to say?”

He looked around, uncomfortable. “What about me?” Jason asked. “What should I do?”

Kira’s mother smiled at him. “No matter what happens, what Kira will need the most is someone she can trust, someone she can count on, standing beside her.”

Jason nodded. “I’m there.”

“And if there is war?” Sien asked.

“Oh, yeah—what if Tiae goes to war?” Kira asked. “I can’t be neutral if that happens. There’s all this talk about me taking over for Mother, but I’m a citizen of Tiae.”

Queen Sien looked at Kira’s mother, who sighed and nodded. “We’ll talk about that later, Kira.”

“You and Sien already have some agreement? If my queen is all right with it, then I’m sure it will be fine. Queen Sien knows what she’s doing.”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

The older and wiser heads began having quiet conversations among themselves while Kira and Jason sat for a while longer, then went off to pretend to talk about other things while their thoughts remained centered on the earlier discussion. Jason stood by the window in Kira’s small bedroom, she sitting on the bed, just as it had been six months ago when she hardly knew him and could barely tolerate him. “Why do you have to be involved in this?” Jason asked. “In danger again and everything?”

“Because my mother is the daughter of Jules and my father is the only Master of Mages,” Kira said. “It comes with being me, with being their daughter.”

“That’s not exactly fair, Kira.”

“Believe me, I spent plenty of time bemoaning my fate,” Kira said. “You may remember hearing some of that. Excuse me, I do not need that look on your face. I was not that bad. But I’ve realized that if I didn’t try to fulfill my…my obligations, that would be a decision to not help when I could help, to not do a job that maybe no one else could do. I can’t do that, Jason. I have to try if there’s a chance I can make a difference.”

He nodded, looking resigned. “I remember that girl I met who kept telling me she wasn’t anything like her mother. What was her name again?”

“Hey, you fell in love with her!”

Jason smiled. “Yeah, because even though she thinks I’m delusional, I really am in love with who she is. And this is part of her, part of you. I guess we’re both stuck with it.”

She gazed back at him, somber. “You’re not stuck with it, Jason. You don’t have any obligations to me. It’s a choice.”

“Then I am choosing to be stuck with it. Stuck with you,” he said.

Kira grinned. “Lucky me. Thanks.”

When Kira heard the others starting to leave, she ran down to help see them off as their carriages and coaches pulled up, the horses rested and ready for the trip to the train station in Pacta Servanda. Queen Sien, smiling as Kira saluted her but giving off an odd sense of saying goodbye in more ways than one; Lukas, giving Kira a quick pat on the shoulder; Jane taking Kira’s hand and thanking her formally.

Alli and Calu shook their heads as Jason walked toward them. “You’re not coming back to Danalee with us,” Calu said.

“Huh? Why not?”

“Duty calls, and it’s calling your name.” Calu smiled fondly at Jason. “We’ve enjoyed having you.”

“I’m staying here?” Jason said, confused.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Alli said, fussing with his collar. “You and Kira are still underage. Give me a hug goodbye and get back inside.”

“You guys have been so great,” Jason said. “I don’t know how to—”

“Just keep being who you are,” Calu said. “And stay in touch.”

When the others had left, Mari looked at Asha. “Are you staying the night?”

“If I may. Master of Mages Alain and I still have much to discuss.”

“Go ahead, Alain. I’ll talk to Kira. Jason, could you wait upstairs? You'll be staying in the guest room again.”

Kira, wary, followed her mother into the kitchen, where Mari sat down and looked at her. “Why do you want to talk to me alone? Did I do something wrong?” Kira asked.

“No, dearest, you did great. Here’s the idea we came up with. We need to disrupt what the Imperials are planning. A lot of that planning is surely focused on you. A public announcement that you were committed might not be believed and would be seen as a blatant attempt to rule out Imperial ambitions for you—”

“Imperial ambitions for me?”

“I know that sounds weird. I’m sorry.” Mari studied her daughter while Kira waited, feeling awkward. “It’s clear that the Imperials think they can still get their hooks into you. Maxim is staking his prestige on getting you. But, if it becomes obvious that your interests are firmly and genuinely set in another direction, it should throw off their plans and give us a chance to undermine Prince Maxim’s position.”

Kira eyed her mother suspiciously. “My interests? What direction?”

“Jason.”

“Mother, I really like him. But…I still don’t know if love is the right word.”

“That’s all right,” Mari said. “You don’t have to change that. All that matters is what the world sees. Your father and I, along with you, were already planning to go down to Tiaesun for the formal reception associated with the visit of Prince Maxim and the Imperial ship squadron. Jason is going to come as well.”

“Really?” Kira said, elated. Suspicion rose again. “Really?” she asked in a different way.

“While we’re there, you and Jason will go out together, be seen being happy together, buy each other jewelry in public where lots of people can see—”

“What? Buy each other jewelry? Mother, that is a serious sign of commitment!”

“You and Jason will know that it doesn’t mean that. But Jason came from Urth. There are a lot of stories about him helping you last year, about how he saved you during that storm at sea and helped you fight your way out of Kelsi, and how he decided to stay on this world. A lot of people know he's been spending time here with you.”

“You mean our enemies,” Kira grumbled.

“No, I mean a lot of people. Including the Imperials. Word will get around very rapidly about you two if you're acting like a pair in public. It will be obvious that you may not be officially committed, but you are very much tied to someone else and could not possibly be interested in Prince Maxim under any circumstances.”

Kira stared at her mother. “Whose idea was this?”

“Actually, Sien was the first to think of it.”

“Great,” Kira said. “My own queen has been plotting to embarrass me.”

“That’s another thing. It’s time you knew,” her mother said. “Sien is not your queen.”

“Yes, she is.” Kira shook her head at her mother. “I’m Kira of Pacta Servanda. Pacta Servanda is in Tiae. Sien is the queen of Tiae. She is my queen.”

Her mother took a deep breath. “Your name is not Kira of Pacta Servanda.”

Kira realized that she must have been staring at her mother for at least a minute, unable to speak. “What?”

“Have you ever looked at your birth certificate?”

“You know, for some strange reason I didn’t think I had to in order to know my own name!”

“Your name is Kira of Dematr,” Mari said.

How long had Kira spent staring wordlessly at her mother this time? “Kira. Of. Dematr.”

“That’s right,” her mother said.

“No. That’s wrong. You are Mari of Dematr. You are the only citizen of the world. I am a citizen of Tiae.”

“No, you’re not,” Mari said. “The decision was made that my children would also be citizens of the world, so that I would not be influenced by their allegiance to any particular ruler or place.”

“Who made this decision?” Kira demanded, feeling like the ground was shifting under her feet.

“I didn’t,” her mother said. “Leaders of the world. Representatives of every government. Including Queen Sien herself.”

“My own queen helped with this?”

“Sien is not your queen.”

“AHHHHH!” Kira collapsed into a nearby chair, her eyes locked on her mother. “How could you do this to me? I have spent the last seventeen years thinking my name was Kira of Pacta Servanda. Wait. I’m an honorary officer in the Queen’s Own Lancers. How can I be an honorary officer of the Queen’s Own Lancers if Sien is not my queen?”

“She gave you a waiver,” Mari said. “The commander of the Lancers knows.”

“The commander knows?” Kira slumped backwards. “My whole life has been a lie.”

“Kira, you’re being a little overdramatic.”

“What else haven’t I been told? You are my mother, right? For real?”

Mari nodded. “Do you think I would have stuck with this if I had a choice?”

“Oh, very funny,” Kira said. She flopped her head back, staring at the ceiling. “Why wasn’t I told?”

“We thought you’d be upset.”

“Good guess. I am.”

“And we wanted you to have a semblance of a normal childhood, a chance to be like the other kids.”

“Seriously?” Kira asked, sitting forward to look at her mother. “Normal childhood? What part of normal childhood had bodyguards accompanying me when I went to a classmate’s birthday party, and testing my piece of cake before I got to eat it, and opening all the presents to screen them before the birthday kid even got to see them, and a security sweep of the neighborhood that included Mages? I was eight years old, and for some weird reason I didn’t get invited to many more birthday parties after that.”

“That was overkill,” her mother conceded. “You got to go to a lot of Gari’s and Andi’s birthday parties, and Ashira’s and Devi’s, and—”

“Mother, I am trying to wallow in the misery of this betrayal!” Kira got up. “Fine. My life is a lie and everyone I know has been plotting against me.”

“I’m glad you’re keeping a sense of perspective about this,” Mari said.

“And now I will go tell Jason that he is going to Tiaesun to show off to everybody that he’s my boyfriend. My really, really serious boyfriend who is going to make a completely spontaneous and private gift of jewelry to me in front of as many spectators as possible. Oh, and tell him my name isn’t what I thought it was.”

Her mother grimaced apologetically. “Kira, we’re also going to need you and Jason to put on some public displays of affection.”

“What does that mean?” Kira asked, wary again.

“Holding hands, hugging, kissing—”

“You said public. We’re supposed to do that with people watching us?”

“As many people as possible,” Mari said.

“I hate you.”

“You’ll get over it. Dearest, you know we wouldn’t ask this of you, and of Jason, if it didn’t seem the best way to short-circuit the Imperial plans and their march toward war.”

“So now you’re trying to make me feel guilty for getting upset,” Kira grumbled.

“Yes. How’s it working?”

* * *

Naturally, Jason didn’t get it. “You’re a citizen of the world? Cool.”

“That is not cool,” Kira informed him. “Neither is us making a public spectacle of ourselves.”

“So I’m being invited to go to Tiaesun—”

“It’s not an invitation, Jason. Invitations can be turned down. You’re going to Tiaesun.”

“Okay. What exactly are we going to be doing?”

“You will very publicly buy me jewelry, and I will very publicly buy you jewelry, and we’ll…kiss and stuff.”

“We like to kiss and stuff,” Jason said.

“Not in front of crowds of people watching us, we don’t!”

“And this will make the Imperials think we’re serious about each other?”

Kira made a face. “It’s supposed to make them think that we can’t wait to turn eighteen and marry each other.”

Jason stared at her. “Marry?”

“Not really,” Kira said. “We just want the Imperials to think we are privately engaged, without making an official public announcement which would obviously be an attempt to influence them, because if they think their plans to neutralize me and to neutralize Mother can’t work because of you—” She stopped speaking, staring at Jason as a terrible realization hit. “If the Imperials think you are standing between them and their plans, they’ll target you!”

“Target me? Like, assassination target me?” Jason asked.

“Yes, target you like assassination target you!”

How could her mother and her father and Queen Sien have missed that?

They hadn’t missed it, Kira suddenly understood.

Jason was to be bait, dangled before the Imperials in the hopes that arrogant Prince Maxim would make a mistake big enough to discredit him.

“Mother!”

Chapter Two

The Destiny had once been part of the daughter’s fleet, preying on Imperial shipping and helping to defend Pacta Servanda when Syndar had attacked. In the intervening years the wooden three-masted sailing ship had been upgraded a bit, a new steam boiler installed for propulsion to assist the sails, and breech-loading deck guns mounted fore and aft to replace the ballistae that had formerly been the Destiny’s main armament. She was now part of the fleet of Tiae, on loan from Queen Sien for Mari and Alain’s trip down to Tiaesun.

Kira leaned on the starboard rail, staring into the west. Somewhere out there was the Western Continent, a once-mythical place that had been visited by only a couple of expeditions since the fall of the Great Guilds.

Without her willing it, her Mage senses reached out, feeling for the amount of power available to cast spells. Like all other areas on the water, there was little power here. Surprised, Kira tamped down her Mage senses. The last thing she needed was for them to do something without her directing them to, especially if it was in a place where other Mages could tell she was the source. Fortunately, her father was the only Mage aboard this ship.

Her mother came to stand by her. “How are you doing, Kira?”

“I’m fine,” Kira said. “I’m on my way to formal social events where I’ll have to make nice to the Imperials who are obsessed with forcing me to marry into the Imperial household. And my own parents and my queen…excuse me, my former queen, are painting a great big target on my boyfriend and hoping the Imperials try to kill him. And on top of that, I keep stumbling over my own name because it’s a different name than I thought I had for seventeen years.”

“You’re doing pretty well, then.”

“All things considered, yes.”

“Dearest, there is going to be an awesome amount of security around Jason. Neither you nor he will be able to see most of it, but a fly won’t be able to get through to hurt him. I promise.”

Kira sighed. “You do keep promises.”

“Have there been any more bad dreams since we left home?”

“If there had been you would have heard,” Kira said. “I’m told that my screams would terrify even a Mage.”

“Your father was not trying to make you feel bad when he said that,” her mother said. “He, and I, were scared when our daughter let out with that shriek in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sorry,” Kira said. “It’s only happened a couple of times. I think after what I went through six months ago a nightmare every now and then isn’t all that strange.” She looked out over the long, slow swells of the ocean, seeking a way to change the subject. “What was it like when you sailed these waters during the war?”

“Like this,” Mari said, leaning on the railing next to her and letting Kira’s change of topic slide. “As Captain Banda told me, the ocean changes her moods all of the time, but she’s always the same under all that.”

“The first time you captured another ship, what were you thinking?”

Her mother grinned. “I was thinking it shouldn’t feel so exciting and almost fun, because I was also scared. That was the Pride, you know. The first ship we captured was the Pride. And now everyone talks about how my daughter fought the sea and beat it.”

Kira shook her head, laughing at the idea. “I did not beat the sea. We barely survived it.”

“Your father heard some of the sailors on this ship talking. The story going around is that any ship you’re on will never sink in a storm.”

“People are crazy,” Kira said. “Did I ever tell you how rough and uncomfortable the sailor clothes were?”

“Tough, though, right?” her mother sympathized. “Sometimes you have to be practical. Oh, speaking of clothes, Sien told me she’s having some special matching dresses made for you and me to wear to the big formal event.”

“Really?”

“You do know if I had mentioned matching dresses a year ago that you’d have exploded, right?” Mari said, smiling at her.

“That was another Kira, who thought she would never be anything but a pale shadow of her mother.”

“The only bad part is that we won’t be able to wear any kind of coat with them, so we’ll have to wear thigh holsters under the dresses. I brought mine, and Sien said she’d make sure one was ready for you.”

“A thigh holster?” Kira asked. “You’ll have to show me how to use that safely.”

“What are mothers for?” Mari gave her a look. “You also need to warn Jason if you’re wearing it.”

Kira felt her face grow warm. “I don’t need to warn Jason. He doesn’t go pawing around down there. I set limits and he respects them.”

“Good.” Her mother paused, looking at the ocean as the swells made their endless progression. “What’s going on with him, Kira? You know how it was with me and your father. I fell in love with him without realizing it, spent a while trying to talk myself out of it, then embraced the inevitable about the time he chose to stand by me against a charging dragon.”

“Father still says that he’s worried some day you’ll realize you could do a lot better,” Kira said, laughing. “Jason and I…it’s hard to explain. He loves me. I know he does. And I feel like I’m caring for him more and more, but it’s like there’s something waiting, something that isn’t there yet, and when it happens I’ll know, but right now I don’t.”

Her mother didn't say anything else for a long moment, looking out over the water. “Kira, there's something I've noticed about you. When it comes to doing things, dealing with external matters, you're as impulsive and direct as I am. Get it done! But when it comes to your heart, to important things inside you…you're a lot more cautious and guarded.”

“What if I am?” Kira replied, feeling defensive. “I've got plenty of reason to be that way. You know how guys have stalked me like I was prey, because they wanted to bag the daughter of the daughter of Jules so they could boast about it!”

“You don't think Jason is like that, do you?”

“No! It's just…I don't know. All right? Maybe I'm being overcautious, but don't I have a right to that?”

“You do,” her mother agreed. “Absolutely. You shouldn’t feel pressured. You know your father and I like Jason, but whether he’s that special person for you is your decision and yours alone.”

Kira paused, uncertain how to ask. “Mother, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” Mari said. “Weight of the world on my shoulders, everyone counting on me to save the day, a daughter who’s actually being pretty nice to me most of the time these days. The usual.”

“I mean inside.”

“Oh. The surgery? Doctor Sino did a follow-up. Didn’t we tell you? She says everything looks great. I should be able to once again carry a child to term and have a safe delivery.”

Kira grinned, hugging her mother. “I’m so glad. Um, are you and Father going to, uh, start…trying?”

Her mother smiled back. “We already are, dearest. We didn’t think you wanted to hear about it, though.”

“I don’t! Thank you!” Kira laughed again. “Did I ever tell you that Jason says his parents used to talk about that in front of him? What they were doing with other people?”

“Ugh,” Mari said with an exaggerated shudder of disgust. “How did two people with apparently no redeeming qualities produce a boy like Jason?”

“Well, you know how multiplying two negative numbers produces a positive number,” Kira said.

“I don’t think people work like that when they multiply. Interesting idea, though. Hey, want to see if they’ll let us fire some test shots from the forward gun? I looked at it. It’s one of your Aunt Alli’s models.”

“They’ll let us do that?”

“I’m pretty sure if we ask they will. Do you think Jason would want to join in?”

“I’ll get him!” Sometimes her mother could be really cool.

* * *

With sunset approaching, Kira raced Jason up the shrouds and the ratlines to the small platform high up on the foremast. They sat close, arms about each other. “I’m sorry Mother is using you as bait,” Kira said.

“I thought it was your mother and your father and Queen Sien,” Jason said.

“It is, but Mother had to buy off on it, or it wouldn’t happen. And I think she’s right. Enough people have seen us together that the Imperials must already be planning to deal with you somehow, and forcing their hand when we’re most prepared is the safest thing for you.”

“I never expected an Empire to be gunning for me,” Jason remarked. “But as long as you’re happy. You are happy, right?”

Kira sighed, looking toward the sun sinking through a rosy sky. “I guess. I’d be happier if the Empire just disappeared from the face of the world. And every time I say my name I start out ‘Kira of Pacta—’ and then remember and say ‘Dematr,’ so everybody is going to think I come from somewhere called Pacta Dematr. It feels so weird.”

“What exactly is your status?” Jason asked.

“The same as Mother’s. I’m a citizen of everywhere. I don’t want to belong everywhere. I liked belonging in Pacta Servanda. I liked knowing I was a citizen of Tiae. I liked knowing that Sien was my queen, because she is awesome. Now I don’t have that.”

“If you’re a citizen everywhere, aren’t you still a citizen of Tiae?”

“Not like that. It’s like ‘citizen’ in quotes. Sien cannot command me. I don’t owe her allegiance. I swore that, did you know? When I joined the Queen’s Own Lancers as an honorary officer I swore allegiance to Queen Sien. But Mother showed me a decree that Sien signed a long time ago releasing me from that oath. So it didn’t really mean anything. It never did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was part of being somebody other than my mother,” Kira said, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s hard to let it go. I talked to my commander…my former commander…before we left. I told him that I’d turn in my uniform and armor as soon as I could.” She sighed again, remembering the conversation. “He told me to keep them, that as far as he and the rest of the Lancers were concerned I’d always be one of them.”

“That was pretty cool of him,” Jason said.

“Yes. He’s a good commander. Only the very best get command of the Queen’s Own. Even though he died before the unit was formed, Major Danel is considered the first commander, and everyone works very hard to live up to his example.” Her arm tightened about Jason’s waist. “I was so proud to be a Lancer. But I don’t know if I can stand being an…imaginary honorary member of the unit. And knowing that if they went off to war I could never be part of them. It’s not that I ever wanted to go to war, but I knew if we did I would be a Lancer and I would be side-by-side with them and we would fight together and never let each other down.” She blinked away tears. “I’m sorry to be dumping all of this on you.”

“I’m glad that I’m someone you can talk to,” Jason said. “I wish your parents had told you a long time ago.”

“I did, too. And then I realized that if they had, I never would have been a Lancer. And I’m glad that I was a Lancer, and proud of it.” She wiped her eyes with her free hand, smiling. “Do you remember how impressed you were by that the first time you met me? That I was a cavalry Lancer?”

“I’m still impressed,” Jason said. “I think your commander is right. You’ll always be a Lancer.”

“Thank you.” She sighed once more. “Jason, there’s something you’re not saying that you want to say.”

She felt Jason’s body jerk in guilty reaction. “How do you do that?”

“It’s kind of like a lie, Jason, because you’re trying to hide something. And you know I can tell when someone is lying.”

“Your dad’s Mage teachings, yeah. All right,” Jason said. “I’m scared.”

Kira squeezed him again with the arm about his waist. “Don’t be. I mean, use your head and be careful, but don’t be scared. No assassin is going to get within a hundred lances of you.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. It’s the…the powers thing.”

Kira closed her eyes, upset. “How many times do I have to say I’m fine?”

“But, Kira, when I talked to you about the Invictus drive right after you…did that thing, it wasn’t just that you didn’t understand.” Jason moved his hands as if groping for the right words. “It was like…I was looking in your eyes and seeing someone else.”

That was scary. Kira felt herself tensing up as she remembered those moments, soon after facing the dragon and knowing that the ship from Urth was probably closing in on them. Trying to do something she didn't even know she could do, but knowing that the fates of two worlds rested on her. She made an effort to relax. “I can see how that would bother you. You didn’t say that at the time.”

“There was a lot going on at the time.”

“I know. Are you sure that’s what you saw? Or is it maybe what your worries have convinced you that you thought you saw?”