Chapter Twelve

Carann, Royal Palace

“You’re sure about this?” Baron Varas ast Katanes asked, frowning.

“Very sure,” Arta said, tone deadly serious. “Respen was very specific that he was going to hit Katanes if I tried to dislodge him and his allies from Tantos. I’ve agreed to meet with him, and he’s promised not to attack anyone else until I do, but, well, I don’t trust him. I know Katanes doesn’t have much in the way of defenses, but what you do have, get ready.”

“I’ll have Danash get on it at once,” the Baron said. “But you’re right; we don’t have much because we never needed it. Katanes isn’t a high-profile target, and if we ever were threatened, we could generally count on aid from Tantos III. But with Tantos fallen, it feels like we don’t have a whole lot of options. I’d try to call in some favors from the guilds, but if the news out of Tantos is accurate, that’s a risk I don’t feel like taking. Even if the guildhouses here on Katanes haven’t been corrupted… no, I don’t want to take a chance of bringing the enemy into my own home.”

“Smart,” Karani said from where she sat in the chair beside Arta’s. “After what happened on Tantos I wouldn’t trust the guilds farther than I could throw the whole bunch of them.”

The Baron smiled thinly, and something about the glint in his eyes greatly enhanced his resemblance to his biological daughter. “Me neither, Karani,” he said. “Me neither. I’m glad to see you’re still in good spirits, at least.” He turned to Arta and his gaze softened. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

Arta sighed and buried her head in her hands. “Terrible,” she said. “It’s like I’ve been telling Karani – the dukes are in rebellion, Tantos has fallen, we’re on the brink of out-and-out civil war, and everyone expects me to fix it. Even Mardoban doesn’t want to take too much of a hand, at least not obviously. He says he doesn’t want people thinking I’m just his puppet, which makes sense. But still, it’s a lot of pressure and if I take one wrong move millions of people could die.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry, Father. I’m not ready for this.”

The Baron made a move as if to put a hand on her shoulder, maybe pull her into an embrace, before remembering that he was speaking to a holo and they were half a kingdom away from each other. “I’m sorry, Arta,” he said. “Every leader has to face a trial sooner or later, and they have to face it alone – there’s no one who can make the decisions for you. I wish I could tell you otherwise. When I first became Baron here, there was a blight in the southern farmlands, and more than half our crops died. I was sure I wasn’t going to last the year, and it was only a question of whether the farming guild, the merchant guild, or the hungry civilians who were going to be the first ones to tear my head off. Fortunately, I managed to keep everyone placated long enough to bring in some off-world biologists from Orlanes, who managed to figure out what was wrong and cure it in time for at least some of the harvest to be saved. I’m still not sure how I did it. And this situation you’re in is worse, because it potentially affects the entire Kingdom, not just one planet in it.”

“What do you think I should do?” Arta asked, feeling a plaintive note creep into her voice.

“Remember what I learned a long time ago,” the Baron said. “A ruler has to make the ultimate decisions, but they can’t do everything themselves. You need people around you who you can trust. I don’t know how I would have ever survived this job if I hadn’t had your mother or Danash. And you need to be able to plan ahead but be flexible enough that you can change your plans when you need to. There’s an old soldier’s adage that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and I think that applies to leadership as well as war.”

“Thank you, Father,” Arta said quietly. “We do have a plan for getting in and out of the meeting on Tantos with me in one piece, but I can’t tell you in case this transmission is being intercepted.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Karani said conversationally. “She’s not telling me, either. Apparently, Duke Mardoban has declared it ‘need to know classified’ or something. I’m her sister! I need to know!”

The Baron chuckled. “I understand completely,” he said. “And in this case, I agree with Duke Mardoban. Be patient, Karani. And be there for Arta. You’re her big sister and I’m trusting you to keep her safe.”

Karani shrugged. “Well, I can’t glow, unlike some people, but I think I can manage. And I want another shot at Galen ast Sakran! We’ve got some unfinished business.”

“That’s my girl,” the Baron said, smiling. Then he shook his head. “Ah, it’s hard for a father to believe when his children have gone and grown up on him. I still remember when you were born, Karani. And Arta… I remember the day Shiran brought you to us. When he told me who you were and what he was asking of me, I knew I was taking the future of the Kingdom into my hands. It was a heavy responsibility, but one lightened by the fact that I grew to love you as my own. And I always knew the day would come when you would have to leave me and become who you were meant to be.” His voice cracked with emotion. “And I am proud of you, Arta. More than you can know.”

Arta found herself blinking away tears. “No matter what happens,” she said, “you’re my father, and Katanes will always be my home. I want you to know that.”

“I do,” the Baron said. “Now go and show your enemies that you are a true queen! I have faith in you, Arta – never forget it.”

The Baron raised his hand to switch off the holo, but Arta stopped him. “One last thing before you go,” she said. “When you mentioned Shiran it made me think – have you heard from him lately?”

Varas frowned. “I haven’t,” he said. “I thought he must still be with you. Is he not? Well, don’t worry too much. That man is prone to coming and going in odd ways. He’ll turn up when he’s most needed and least expected, in my experience.”

“Still, I wish he was here now,” Arta muttered. “But no matter what happens on Tantos, I’ll keep you updated. I love you, Father.” Beside her, Karani echoed her words.

“I love you too, both of you,” the Baron said. “I hope the next time we talk, it will be under more pleasant circumstance.” The holo flickered once, and then he vanished.

“Well,” Karani said after a long paused, “that wasn’t exactly the most fun family talk we’ve ever had, was it?”

Arta stood from the desk where the holoprojector rested and stretched. “We’re at war, or as good as,” she said. “What did you expect?”

“Good point,” Karani muttered. “I meant what I said, though. Wherever you’re going, I’ll have your back. And don’t you forget it.”

“And hoping to have another chance at Galen has nothing to do with that?” Arta asked, laughing.

“Well, maybe a little,” Karani admitted. “He does owe me for my leg, and I intend to make him pay. So, what’re you going to do now, anyway? Got another war meeting with Mardoban?”

“Actually, I’ve got an appointment in the training hall,” Arta said. “Someone’s agreed to meet me for a round of sparring. I have to admit I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a while since I’ve trained with someone who isn’t you or a mech.”

“Someone?” Karani asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s that Latharna girl, isn’t it? Because I still think letting her get close to you is a really bad…”

“I know, I know, you don’t trust her,” Arta said, holding up her palms. “She did save my life. And I talked to her, and I liked her. It’ll be fun. And besides, Mardoban thinks we can use her in our plan.”

“Use her?” Karani spluttered. “She’s a foreign national and you’re the Queen of the Dozen Stars, Arta! You’ve got knights! You’ve got me! What do you need her for?”

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Arta waved a finger. “That would be telling,” she said. “But it’s not like she’s an Imperial or something. Realtran and the Dozen Stars have been allies for the entire time both kingdoms have existed. And besides, I’ve got a feeling about this. I think I need to trust her. I don’t know why, but I do.”

Karani muttered something unintelligible under her breath about Adepts and their hunches and exactly what Arta could do with her ‘good feeling,’ but didn’t press the issue. “All right,” she said. “Have fun. I guess I’ll figure out something I can be doing.” Arta had a feeling she knew what Karani meant – her sister had been expressing interest lately in learning to fly a fighter and had been planning to use her connections to convince someone to teach her when she had the time.

Arta waved at her as she left the room, but once she was out in the corridor and her guards had fallen in behind her, Karani’s words about Adepts – and the Baron’s about how she’d come to be part of his family – began weighing heavily on her.

Shiran, she thought. Where are you?

///

The royal guards nodded to Latharna as she stepped through the door into the palace’s training room. The chamber was cavernous, with wide walls and a high ceiling, but for the moment it was empty save for a slender figure in blue running through a series of exercises with a dueling sword. Artakane had her black hair pulled back away from her face, and though she was facing away from the door Latharna could see her flowing easily from one stance to the next. Finally, she came to the end of her routine and sheathed the blade at her side before turning to face her visitor.

“Ah, Your Majesty,” Latharna said quickly, giving a polite half-bow, a gesture of respect for a foreign monarch from someone who wasn’t one of her citizens. Artakane, however, made a face and waved the gesture away.

“I told you before, call me Arta,” she said. “I get enough ‘your majesties’ already. I’m glad you were able to make it; how are you feeling?”

Latharna shrugged. “Well enough,” she said. “I think rest really was all I needed after all. What about you? I heard what happened on Tantos III.”

Artakane’s – Arta’s – expression became solemn. “Everyone has by this point,” she said. “I’m working on it, but right now I’d like to take my mind off things for a little while. Are you still ready to spar?”

“Always,” Latharna said; Arta smiled in response, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Forcing the feeling down, Latharna did a series of stretches to get herself limbered up, then drew her dueling sword from where it hung at her belt. Flipping on the switch, she set it to the lowest setting and felt the familiar hum as energy crackled along the blade. At this setting it would deliver a nasty shock on contact but no worse, and the energy field would, so long as it worked properly, keep the metal blade from cutting flesh.

Arta drew her own sword and flicked it on. “I’m ready when you are,” she said. “And before we start, I just want to say this – don’t you dare let me win. None of my guards seem to be able to get that through their heads, and it’s getting very old.”

“Well, if you don’t want me to hold back…” Latharna said, grinning and feeling the anticipation that always accompanied swordplay growing in her. She and Arta saluted each other, and then they began.

The exchange of blows was quick and precise, and Latharna recognized at once that Arta was very good – though that didn’t surprise her, considering that she had, after all, won a tournament before she became queen. Still Latharna was able to parry every strike and force Arta backwards across the padded training floor. They were about the same size, and close to evenly matched in terms of speed and strength, but Latharna was realizing that she was the more skilled of the two – not by a lot, perhaps, but by enough.

Finally, Arta stumbled, ever so slightly, and Latharna was there to take advantage of it. She forced Arta back and then feinted right; as Arta moved to block, she darted away and struck her on the arm with the edge of her blade. The queen gave a yelp as the dueling sword sent a shock along her side, and her own blade fell from her hand. The sword landed on the mat and Arta lost her balance, taking another stumbling step back before falling on flat on her bottom.

The two girls stared at each other for a long moment, eyes wide. “I guess I win,” Latharna said, sounding shocked. Had she actually beaten the Queen of the Dozen Stars? Yes, Arta had wanted her to not hold back, but now that she’d actually lost, would she still be as pleased, or would she be angry?

There was a long moment of silence, and then Arta laughed. “I guess you did,” she said and held up her hand. Latharna pulled her to her feet, and for an instant their faces were within an inch of one another. Staring directly into the queen’s dark eyes, Latharna felt her heartbeat quicken and a flush rising along her neck; quickly she backed up and looked away.

“Do you want to go again?” she asked, determined to change the subject.

Arta shrugged. “How about some drinks first?” She nodded towards a small table in a corner of the hall, set with a pitcher and some cups. Latharna nodded, relieved, and they made their way over to it; Arta poured a cup of water for each of them and handed one to Latharna, keeping the other for herself.

They stood there quietly drinking for several minutes, with Arta regarding Latharna carefully from over the rim of her cup. “I’m curious,” she said, “where did you learn to fight like that? Is everyone in Realtran that good? If so, I may have to ask Ambassador Preas if she might be willing to lend me an army to help with our current problems.”

Latharna chuckled. “I grew up at the Dansa Academy on Gearrach and learned to fight from an old monk,” she said. “I honestly have no idea if I’m better or worse than most people where I’m from. But Brother Ronall always told me I was naturally gifted, and I practiced a lot.” She shrugged sheepishly. “I didn’t spend a lot of time with children my own age. Nobody was lining up to be friends with the headmistress’s strange ward. So, I spent most of my free time studying and practicing. My life probably isn’t very interesting compared to yours.”

“I don’t know,” Arta said. “I think we’ve actually got a bit in common that way. I never had a lot of friends growing up either; my father had Karani and me taught by private tutors instead of sending us to the Academy and he never really gave us much opportunity to mingle with other nobles, or even the children of guildsmen. I used to think it was just because he didn’t care much for them and didn’t want us around people like that. Now I wonder if it wasn’t because of me – if he was trying to keep me away from anyone who might realize I looked so much like the dead queen.”  She chuckled weakly. “And now that I am queen, it seems like everyone’s too intimidated by me to want to get close to me. Aside from Karani, the only person my age I actually feel like I can talk to is Pakorus, and as much as I like him, he is a boy. It’s not quite the same.”

They both snickered at that. “Well, then, I guess neither of us has much experience with friendship,” Latharna said, “but if this is what it feels like, I think I do like it.” She met Arta’s gaze for a moment, then found herself looking away again. “Something I have been wondering – what was it like? The tournament, and then fighting the assassins? I heard about it, of course – it ended up on our news too, in Realtran – but what was it like to actually be there?”

Arta went silent for a long while before she spoke again. “The tournament was exciting, exhilarating, but also stressful, especially after Karani got hurt. I never actually expected to get as far as I did, you know. I was just a nobody from Katanes up against the best duelists of my generation, but somehow, I managed it. But I still feel a bit guilty about it. I didn’t really win, you understand – don’t believe everything you hear. Darius ast Sakran had me. He should have been the winner, not me.”

“But then the assassins attacked,” Latharna whispered.

“That part was terrifying,” Arta admitted. “It was nothing like the tournament – I was just desperate to stay alive. I thought I was surely going to die at any minute, and then somehow, I killed the Commander instead and suddenly I was a hero. I still don’t even know for sure what I did.” The Commander’s last words – his threat or promise of more attacks to come – she kept to herself.

“So, this Darius is supposed to be pretty good, isn’t he?” Latharna asked. “His father is one of the leaders of this rebellion, right?”

“He is,” Arta confirmed. “I assume Darius and his siblings are with him. The ast Sakrans stick together.”

“Well, maybe you’ll have another chance at him, then,” Latharna said, shooting Arta a grin. “You never know!”

“However this ends, I doubt it’ll be about dueling,” Arta said. “Which reminds me, there is something I’ve been wanting to ask you. I’ll be leaving soon for Tantos to meet with the rebels. If I’m lucky, nothing will happen. If not… if not, I’d like to have you with me. With my bodyguards, I mean.”

“Me?” Latharna asked, eyes widening. “I’m not even from the Dozen Stars!”

“You saved my life once, when my own guards tried to kill me,” Arta said, expression serious. “And the fact that you’re not from the Kingdom actually makes you even more suited – you’ve got no stake in our politics, so the rebel dukes would have a hard time getting to you. Besides, the Realtran Kingdom has always been our ally, and Ambassador Preas was open to loaning your services. But more than that, it just feels right. I feel like whatever is happening, I’m going to need you at my side.”

Latharna felt her heart skip a beat at that, but she frowned at the sense of certainty in Arta’s words. She remembered then what she had managed to put from her mind for their practice bout – the queen was an Adept, and Adept’s knew things. Did that mean that Arta knew about how she made Latharna feel?

That was not a question to pursue right now. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said formally, offering a bow. “I would be honored to accept your offer. And that makes me think,” she reached into her pocket and pulled out Ambassador Preas’s drive. “The Ambassador told me to give this to you. There is information on it regarding Aurann Duchy that might give you an advantage against Respen. As you say, the Realtran Kingdom has always been the friend of the Dozen Stars, and we wish to see you stable and prosperous.”

Latharna hoped that sounded sufficiently ambassadorial; apparently it did, because Arta smiled and took the drive. “Thank you,” she said. “And do tell Ambassador Preas that we appreciate both the information and the loan of her assistant.” Her smile became less queenly and more familiar. “Now then, would you like to go another round? Maybe this time I won’t be so easy for you to beat?”

Latharna smiled broadly. “Arta,” she said, “it would be my pleasure.”