Janali felt almost relieved she’d finally been discovered. It was probably her sister poking around her rooms when she found Janali wasn’t where she’d been ordered to stay. Her mind tried to calculate how best to save her family from her coming doom. “When they arrest me, you have to show my mother the mirror and crystal, not my sister. Lady Jedalor will be able to use them.”
“Arrested?” Captain Reinvo said.
Lieutenant Metallo was looking through the ship’s telescope inspecting the visitors. “Captain, you must protect me. Father Baenali is on the pier. They must be coming for me!” he said in a high pitched voice.
Captain Reinvo looked back and forth between them. “Metallo, you are not guilty of anything. You have nothing to fear. Mistress, I can’t believe you have anything to fear either. Let’s be calm and see if we can weather the storm out.”
The captain’s calm commanding attitude pulled Janali back to task and Metallo seemed to calm as well.
They waited while the skiff had tied up to the ship’s landing platform. An Ayzebel soldier marched ahead of the group up the steel stairs rattling them loudly with each heavy step. As he stepped onto the ship, he called out, “Pay heed to the Illustrious Reverend Potentate Asonic, Princeps Optimus of the Perlustration.”
Janali suddenly felt light-headed. She fought for control and took a deep breath to steady herself. Six years ago, it had been Potentate Asonic who had caused the disappearance of Professor Kinsdum, who had taught Janali how to use the Star Empresses’ powers.
Next came Potentate Asonic who stood for a moment, grounding his staff that towered over everyone making the emblem visible. They all bowed deeply to him, placing their right hands on the ship’s deck. He didn’t ask them to straighten, by decorum they had no choice but to remain in that position as the rest of his party came up to stand in formation.
In her peripheral vision, Janali saw one of the priests and two guards head towards the bridge. Meanwhile, Potentate Asonic stepped over to stand in front of her for a few moments more.
“You may all stand.” His emotionless voice washed over them like a cold wave.
Straightening up after so long was a little difficult. As she stood, she brought her left hand forward to cup her right before her towards Potentate Asonic. “Bless, Your Eminence.”
Potentate Asonic looked at her as if she was some unsightly stain on one of his vestments before finally returning the customary blessing. “May the Empresses bless you.” He looked around at all the sailors who also held their hands before him as Janali did. “May the Empresses bless all of you,” he said more sincerely than he’d addressed Janali.
He turned his attention back to Janali. “Lady Janali Jedalor, is it not? You have grown since the last time we met.” His voice a soft, rich baritone that should have felt far more amenable, but it was dripping with disgust.
As the last time she met Potentate Asonic, there was a strange twinge in her mind. He had a familiarity at the edge of remembrance, but she couldn’t recall what it was.
Her throat tightened, preventing her from responding. His eyes pinned her in place. He knew. After years of practicing and applying her scientific methods to the Star Empresses’ powers, she’d finally been discovered. Although relieved to be out, she still didn’t want to die. She wondered what her mother would say when told what was in her labs. She couldn’t breathe nor did she have any place to run. Her eyes slipped past Potentate Asonic to the four remaining Nacitas Guards, each sporting actual combat scars on their arms and faces. The other two priests were Perlustration Quaestum, investigators in training who first acted as aids and witnesses. The guards and the priests were all glaring at her intently.
Potentate Asonic seemed prepared to glare at her for an eternity.
“Yes,” she finally got out. Even to her ears, it was a squeak.
Potentate Asonic smiled warmly, but instead of being comforted, Janali felt a cold dread fall over her. He knew what effect he was having on her, and he enjoyed it. A moment later, he turned his attention to the captain. “Captain Reinvo, your navigator Lieutenant Metallo is requested and required to come with us on suspicions of aiding the void against the Star Empresses.”
Relief that she wasn’t the one being arrested washed through her like the tide. She was momentarily so relieved she felt a wave of dizziness.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Two guards stepped behind Lieutenant Metallo, restraining his arms. One produced a red hood and started to put it over Metallo’s head.
The lieutenant shook his head preventing the hood from being applied. “I’ve done nothing. I’m loyal and perform all my observances!”
The potentate held up his hand, and a guard drew his sword, resting it on the lieutenant’s shoulder. Lieutenant Metallo squeaked and started to cry silently, begging her with his eyes to save him. Tears ran down the side of his face, smearing his fresh makeup, leaving black streaks and staining the collar of his white shirt.
“Lieutenant Metallo’s habits are not in question. But, it seems to have misled the other officers into an unorthodox belief. The ship’s priest has reported this, and the other officers confirmed its behavior. I’m taking it and its dissident proofs to Nacitas. I may need to question more of the officers. Do not worry about it and...” he paused to be sure everyone was listening intently, “do not make the mistake of speaking its beyond-the-edge falsehoods to anyone else.”
Janali took a reflexive deep breath, her face warming and her hands clenched. Arresting a navigator for making a miscalculation was beyond ridiculousness. She couldn’t let Potentate Asonic take another innocent person away for observing the universe. Especially one that had only just returned after such an arduous voyage. Metallo’s fears and position pulled at her instincts. He was her crewman.
Last time she’d faced Asonic, he had towered over her, and she’d been a young girl scared of the powerful priest. He’d used all his authority and intimidation without mercy, cowing her into submissiveness. Now he was a couple inches shorter than Janali. She was used to dealing with difficult authorities; it was her time to lady over him. She would not be bullied and would not allow him to bully her men.
She stepped forward, closing the distance between her and Potentate Asonic. “What falsehoods? Let him go. This is my ship, and I’m not the child you remember. The church can have no quarrel with a northern merchant run. Even if the navigator is inexperienced and made a miscalculation. You can’t possibly think that is voidal.”
Potentate Asonic didn’t step back. He stood his ground, stretching his back to stand as tall as he could.
“Do not attempt to stop me. Your titles mean nothing before the Star Empresses.” His right hand whitened as he squeezed the staff hard.
Her face felt a flush of warmth from his staff like sunshine, the feeling spread to also come from Potentate Asonic himself. She glanced at the staff, her eyes seeing nothing out of place. But that odd glow of the Star Empresses powers when she used them, which was invisible to normal vision, pulsed through the staff. Her eyes traced the pulsing up the potentate’s arm where it spread over his body.
She returned to glaring into Potentate Asonic’s eyes. Except now they were a bit wider with a new emotion. His eyebrows tightened as his gaze pierced her eyes seeking her secrets.
Fear fueled adrenaline flooded her body. Not sure how, she was sure he would see she had used the Star Empresses’ powers just as she’d just seen him do the same. She needed to distract him before he made that dangerous discovery. The only thing she could think of was to hit him. But that was very dangerous. He was right in that his authority surpassed her status.
Captain Reinvo came to her aid. He stepped in close, his face grimacing. “You’ve come aboard my vessel which is not yet docked. By imperial and merchant laws, I’m still the ultimate authority here. Lady Janali is right, you go too far.”
Potentate Asonic flinched backwards blinking at Captain Reinvo and Lady Janali. He tapped his staff. “In the name of the Star Empresses, I accuse Lieutenant Metallo of collusion with the void. The Perlustration has total authority usurping all other laws in regard to acts of the void.”
“You dare!” She practically spat at Potentate Asonic.
Captain Reinvo touched her arm. “Mistress, we cannot oppose him without risking being so accused ourselves,” he said softly into her ear.
She started to turn on the captain to protest when the missing fourth priest came down from the bridge holding the ship's navigational charts. He was followed by the other two Nacitas Guards who glared everyone out of their path.
Potentate Asonic gave Janali a quick smile and turned to the returning priest with all the nonchalance of a cat. “Is that all of them?” he asked.
The returning priest nodded.
“Let's return to the temple where we can meditate on the evidence and speak uninterrupted with the lieutenant,” Potentate Asonic said, his voice holding no hint of the horrors he would introduce Lieutenant Metallo to.
Thinking better of her position, Janali nodded to the captain and glowered at Potentate Asonic.
With a snap, the red bag was whipped onto Lieutenant Metallo’s head and cinched tight. He screamed for help as the guards also bound his wrists behind his back and then shoved him before them as they went down to the skiff. The only consolation was that they caught him if he took a misstep.
The other officers all stood by and looked down. Janali’s emotions tugged at her to do something more. Having Metallo’s head bagged seemed beyond reason, or need. It was just like the colonel’s signaling for army support and possible smuggling. So unnecessarily public and shaming. She’d resolved that earlier incident, and she had to find a way to resolve this one too.
Potentate Asonic considered her for a few seconds. “Lady Janali, count yourself lucky. You should take your captain’s council. Until next time.”
With a last nod and one last glare at Janali, Potentate Asonic led his party off the ship and back into the skiff where they rowed away as fast as they came.
Janali went to the aft deck. The sun was almost totally dark now. Lieutenant Metallo’s form clearly sat straight-backed in the middle of the church guards, the red bag over his head bright and clear even in the dusky light. She watched the skiff gliding across the calm harbor waters, its shimmering reflection ominous. Already her mind churned, calculating the means and likelihoods of saving Metallo.