CHAPTER TEN

ZANE

Jorge posted a few guards outside the R&D lab, but the spaceship was already out of the docking slot, as the old saying went, and it was nothing but a futile show—

Ding! The familiar shrill whistle sounded from my tablet.

Communications in and around the castle had been restored quite some time ago, and I was surprised it had taken Holloway this long to message me. Given the attack, I had no choice but to see what he wanted, so I pulled the device out of my pocket and read the message.

Handle this. Now.

Holloway’s short missive included a link to Celestial Stars, one of the most popular gossipcasts in the galaxy. Several Regals had already contacted Artemis Swallow, the gossipcast’s head producer, to give their eyewitness accounts of the disastrous solstice celebration. I bit back a groan.

“Something wrong?” my father asked.

I slid my tablet back into my pocket. “Time for me to face the gossipcasters. Holloway wants me to spin the story.”

Jorge nodded and straightened his spine again. “Then we will face them—together.”

My father returned to the lawn while Jorge and I made our way to the front of the castle. An army of gossipcasters were camped outside, dozens more than those who had originally been here covering the solstice celebration, all of them breathlessly reporting about the Techwave attack. I ground my teeth. The gossipcasts were a useful tool, but at times like these, I wanted to drive my stormsword into every last camera and microphone.

Jorge flinched, but he yanked down his tailcoat, girding himself for battle. I unclenched my jaw and did the same thing. Jorge nodded at me, and together the two of us stepped out of the castle and stopped in the designated media space. Had it only been a few hours since I’d last been here talking about my shampoo commercial? Right now, it seemed like days.

The gossipcasters surged forward, yelling questions and jostling for position behind the pink velvet ropes.

“Zane! Lord Zane! Who was the target of tonight’s attack?”

“Was anything stolen? Was anyone killed?”

“How will you guarantee the Regals’ safety moving forward?”

I would rather face down an entire squad of Black Scarabs single-handedly than endure this media gauntlet right now, but I didn’t have a choice, so I fixed a calm, reassuring smile on my face and looked directly into the bright glare of the cameras.

I needed to do at least one bloody thing right tonight.

For the next fifteen minutes, I answered one question after another. I kept my voice steady and my answers vague and simple and projected as much confidence as I could muster. Everything was under control, the intruders had been killed, the other Arrows were already hot on the trail of the masterminds, and the Techwave wouldn’t dare to attack Corios again on my watch.

Lies, all of it.

“Is it true Lord Jorge ignored the Arrows’ security suggestions?” a gossipcaster yelled out. “That his oversight allowed the Techwavers to attack unimpeded? That his carelessness is the primary cause for tonight’s calamity?”

Beside me, Jorge’s face paled. His stomach gurgled with ominous notes, but he drew in a breath and stepped forward. “I must take—”

“I must take severe umbrage at those insinuations,” I smoothly cut in. “Lord Jorge followed all Imperium security suggestions to the letter. Nothing more could have been done by him or House Rojillo to prevent tonight’s attack.”

I stepped forward, putting myself between Jorge and the bright glares of the cameras. “Rest assured that we have learned a great deal from tonight’s attack. Why, the Arrows are already making use of all the information we’ve collected, just as we intended.”

The gossipcasters frowned. Several of them glanced at one another, then back at me.

“Just as you intended? What does that mean?”

“What information? Did the Techwave leave some sort of data or device behind?”

“Will tonight’s attack somehow lead the Arrows to a Techwave base? Or all the Regal weapons and resources the terrorist group has stolen in recent months?”

“I’m not at liberty to reveal specifics on Arrow missions, targets, or objectives.” I flashed them all another smile, then gave an exaggerated wink. “But believe me when I say that Corios is safer than ever, and we can all sleep peacefully tonight.”

Once again, the gossipcasters frowned and glanced at one another, not sure what to make of my confusing, contradictory statements, but that was the point. The more I clouded the truth and downplayed what had happened tonight, the more the gossipcasters would speculate and talk in useless circles.

Disinformation was a weapon too, and I wasn’t just wielding it because of Holloway’s orders. I didn’t want to embolden General Orion Ocnus and the other mysterious leaders of the Techwave or give them any tactical advantages by revealing how chaotic and successful their attack had been and just how close they’d come to killing the solstice guests. Of course, the Regals who had already given interviews about their harrowing experiences would undercut my strategy, but I’d spun the story the best I could.

The gossipcasters sucked in a collective breath to pepper me with more questions, but I smiled, waved, and ended the press conference. The gossipcasters started yelling again, but I ignored them and escorted Lord Jorge back inside the castle. I shut a door behind us, finally, mercifully, cutting off the barrage of questions.

Jorge slumped against the wall, looking as tired as I felt. “Thank you for that,” he said in a low, strained voice. “For saying my security was excellent and that no one could have prevented the Techwave attack.”

I shrugged off his thanks. “It was nothing.”

Jorge stepped forward and clasped my hand in his own. “Not to me. Perhaps my House will survive this disaster after all.”

Tears gleamed in his eyes, but he blinked them back, dropped my hand, and cleared his throat. “Please excuse me. I want to see how everyone is doing. I also need to make arrangements for the guests to either spend the night here or return home, whichever they prefer.”

“Of course,” I murmured. “Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.”

Jorge gave me a wan smile and disappeared deeper into the castle. I scrubbed my hands through my hair, trying to slough off everything that had happened over the past few hours. Then I went in search of my family.

Fergus had vanished, probably to check on the rest of the House Zimmer servants and escort them home, but Beatrice and Wendell were still out on the lawn, along with several of the Regals. I looked them over for a second time, but other than their disheveled appearances, they were fine.

Relief rushed through me. I didn’t know what I would have done if I had lost them, and yet I couldn’t help but feel like that had been someone’s goal tonight, given the way the Black Scarab had seemed to search for and then specifically target my father.

As for who would want to hurt my family, well, it was a long, long list. You didn’t get to be among the most powerful Regal Houses by playing nicely with others, and my grandmother had made plenty of enemies over the years with her various schemes. I’d made my fair share of enemies too, both as a Regal lord and especially as an Arrow.

And then, of course, there was Vesper. Perhaps I was being paranoid, but I felt like tonight’s attack also had something to do with her. My surprise sister hadn’t been a Regal long, but she had enemies too, especially since she kept foiling the Techwave’s plots. Either way, a faint unease kept thrumming through my body, and my psionic instincts kept whispering that this wasn’t the end of my family’s battle with the Techwave—more like the beginning.

“Zane? Are you okay?” my father asked. “You have a strange look on your face.”

I shook off my thoughts of Vesper and the Techwave. “I’m all right. I just wanted to double-check on the two of you.”

My grandmother waved her hand. “We’re fine, thanks to you and your father.”

I grinned at him. “Nice trick with the string of bulbs and the fork. I didn’t realize you could make solar lights explode like that.”

An answering grin creased Wendell’s face, although it quickly morphed into a thoughtful look. “My trick would have been better if it had blown the Scarab completely apart like I intended. I’ve never been particularly good at thinking of solutions on the fly and under pressure. Not like other people. Why, I bet—”

He cut off his words, but a wave of wistfulness washed off him, and the rest of his thought echoed through my mind: Vesper would have made it work.

A cold fist wrapped around my heart and squeezed it tight. My father didn’t even know his daughter, not really, but he already had the utmost confidence in her abilities, just as he’d always had the same unwavering faith in mine.

“What about Lady Asterin?” my grandmother asked. “Were you able to give her the solstice gift before the attack?”

I suppressed a sigh. No matter the situation, Beatrice always focused on business first and foremost, something I admired and despised about her in equal measure. “No, I didn’t give her the gift earlier, and I don’t see the point of giving it to her now. You heard what Rigel said about Asterin’s family rethinking their alliance with House Zimmer in the wake of my great and terrible incompetence as an Arrow tonight.”

My grandmother huffed, the sound full of scathing derision. “As if the Erzton Hammers would have done any better if they had been here. I’ll speak to Rigel and make sure he and the Colliers understand how foolish it would be to stop our negotiations.”

She speared me with a sharp look. “Find Asterin, give her the solstice gift, and smooth things over the best you can. Understand, Zane?”

I suppressed another sigh, too tired to argue with her right now. “Yes, Beatrice.”

My grandmother made a shooing motion with her hand. “There is no time like the present. Perhaps we can salvage something out of this dreadful evening.”

“As always, your wish is my command,” I drawled.

Beatrice sniffed, not appreciating my mocking compliance, but she moved over to a group of Regals and started talking to them. My father gave me an apologetic smile, then did the same thing, going over to some of his friends.

I scanned the lawn, but Asterin wasn’t here, so I went inside the castle in search of the Erzton lady.

By this point, it was after midnight, which meant the summer solstice was officially over. Many of the Regals had gone inside the castle to find their rooms for the night or to wait for transports to take them home, but I didn’t see Asterin in any of the sitting areas.

I moved from one room and corridor to the next, smiling and nodding at everyone I passed, although I received angry glowers and muttered curses in return. A few folks stepped forward and stabbed their fingers at me, but I kept moving. I’d already talked enough to the gossipcasters, and I had no desire to endure any more pointed questions and stinging reprimands about my failures. I wanted some more skinbonds, a hot shower, and a soothing cup of tea, not necessarily in that order, but I’d be lucky if I got any of those things before sunrise.

Eventually, I stuck my head into a conservatory. More pink-star honeysuckles curled through the enormous room, perfuming the air with their sweet scent, while the permaglass dome overhead revealed the full breadth and beauty of the night sky, as though a black velvet blanket studded with white sequin stars had been draped over this part of the castle.

Low whispers of conversation caught my ear. I was never shy about eavesdropping, so I slipped into the conservatory, moving from one honeysuckle-lined path to another until I reached the center of the round room. Up ahead, three people were huddled on chaise lounges and having an intense discussion—Tivona Winslow, Leandra Ferrum, and Asterin Armas.

My steps were silent, but Asterin looked in my direction as if she could sense my presence some other way. Strange. I was usually much better at sneaking up on people, but she’d caught me spying, and all I could do now was own it.

The three women shot to their feet, and I plastered a smile on my face and swaggered over to them.

“Ladies! Just wanted to check and make sure you weren’t suffering any ill effects from the evening’s events.”

Tivona slapped her hands on her hips. “What did you expect? That we’d be swooning on the settees, and you would have to fetch us some smelling salts?”

I grinned at her. “I’m always happy to fetch smelling salts or anything else you require.”

Tivona huffed and rolled her eyes. “You are impossible, just like—”

Vesper. She bit off her thought, but it whispered through my mind anyway.

Once again, a cold fist squeezed my heart, but I kept my smile fixed on my face. I raised my eyebrows in a silent question, but Tivona shook her head.

“Nothing,” she muttered. “Never mind.”

When it became apparent Tivona wasn’t going to say anything else, I turned to Leandra. “You were extremely impressive tonight. You cut through those Scarabs like you were pruning weeds in a garden. What would it take to convince you to join the Arrows?”

Leandra let out a low, amused laugh. “You couldn’t afford my price, Zane.”

“Which would be what, exactly? I am not without resources. Neither is Callus Holloway. The Imperium royal coffers are quite substantial. Why, they are practically bursting with credits. I’m sure we could come to some mutually beneficial arrangement.”

She rolled her eyes. “By the stars, you are persistent.”

My smile widened. “It’s one of my best traits and many charms.”

Asterin snorted, although it sounded suspiciously close to a laugh. At least I was amusing someone tonight.

“Well, I need a drink to deal with your supposed charms,” Leandra sniped.

“I assure you, my offer is quite genuine. I could use someone like you in the Arrows.”

Leandra laughed again, then shook her head and walked away. Tivona shot me another angry glower and followed her, leaving me alone with Asterin.

I looked her over the same way I had done with Beatrice and Wendell earlier. Someone, most likely Rigel, must have given her a skinbond, because the reddish bruise on the side of her head had vanished, as had the cuts, scrapes, and other minor injuries that had dotted her skin.

Asterin crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you want, Zane? It’s been a long night. I want to go to my hotel, soak in a warm bath, and go to bed.”

She wasn’t the only one who was exhausted, but I still had one final duty to perform, so I reached into my coat pocket and drew out the lunarium jewelry box I’d been carrying around for hours.

Asterin froze. Something that looked a lot like panic flickered across her face, although the emotion vanished in an instant. “What is that?” she asked in a sharp, suspicious voice.

I turned the box around in my hands. The Techwave cannon blast had melted the delicate silver filigree, transforming the once-elegant ribbons into jagged bumps of metal. Most of the pale lunarium still sparkled with color, although the edges were as charred and blackened as my ruined tailcoat. “It was a solstice gift for you, although I’m afraid it got damaged when Silas blasted me in the chest.”

Asterin’s eyebrows shot up. “That box saved you from the Techwaver’s cannon?”

“More or less.”

I dug my fingers into the silver seams, which had fused together. It took me several tries, along with a fair bit of telekinesis, but I finally managed to pry the box open.

The lunarium might have saved my life, but the entire box had overheated and melted the necklace inside. The silver choker studded with blue opals was now a lumpy mass of metal and jewels that looked like it had been fused together without any true purpose, beauty, or design.

I grimaced. “I’m sorry. I was hoping the necklace might have survived the cannon blast. I could have it repaired . . .” My voice trailed off. We could both see there was no saving the necklace.

“There’s no need for that. It’s the thought that counts, right?” Asterin gave me a tired smile that didn’t even come close to reaching her eyes.

“I suppose so,” I replied, matching her forced politeness. “Perhaps I can give you a proper gift the next time we meet.”

Asterin shook her head. “That’s not necessary.” Her lips twisted. “Besides, I’ve just received an urgent message. My mother and stepfather would like me to return home for a while, given what happened here tonight.”

I slowly closed the box and dropped it to my side. “I see.”

Asterin going back to her home planet of Sygnustern meant that we wouldn’t be getting engaged anytime soon. In fact, Asterin’s departure might just spell the end of my grandmother’s marriage scheme once and for all. I should be happy, ecstatic, thrilled, even. But instead, I felt . . . unsettled. Then again, I always felt better when I could keep an eye on my enemies—and Asterin was an enemy.

Oh, she might not try to murder me outright or be actively plotting the downfall of the Imperium like the Techwave was, but it was clear that Asterin Armas had her own agenda. I had enough problems of my own to solve. I didn’t need to get entangled in anyone else’s complications, but I had the strangest sense that I was going to get dragged into Asterin’s mysterious troubles sooner rather than later.

“Thank you for coming after me when the Black Scarab dragged me into the woods,” Asterin said in a stiff voice, as if it physically pained her to say the words.

I wouldn’t have wanted to thank me either, and it would have greatly annoyed me to have to say the words to her if our roles had been reversed. I had never enjoyed having to make nice with an adversary, even when we were briefly on the same side.

Asterin cleared her throat. “You didn’t have to do that,” she finished.

“Yes, I did.”

I would have helped Asterin no matter what kind of danger she was in, because that was my job as an Arrow. It might not be much, but it was the only bit of honor I had. Besides, Asterin was the most intriguing person I had met in a long time. Intriguing people might make life difficult, but they also made it interesting. I’d much rather triumph in a hard-fought battle over a worthy opponent than steamroll over a weak enemy, and Asterin Armas was definitely not weak.

Asterin hesitated, and when she spoke again, her voice was pitched much lower and softer than before. “I hope you find the answers you’re looking for, especially about Vesper and the rest of your family.”

My chest tightened, but I forced myself to smile as though her words didn’t bother me at all. “Thank you.” I cleared my throat, remembering what she had revealed to me on the dance floor. “And good luck with your family as well.”

She smiled back at me, her expression as tight and tense as mine. “Good-bye, Zane.”

“Good-bye, Asterin.”

She studied me a second longer, then spun around and strode away.

Tivona and Leandra were waiting for Asterin at the front of the conservatory. The three women put their heads together and started whispering in low voices again. Their conspiratorial coven reminded me of how the three of them had worked together during the midnight ball, along with Daichi and Touma Hirano, to help Kyrion and Vesper escape from Crownpoint.

When I’d first arrived at Castle Rojillo, I’d quipped to the gossipcasters that none of the Regals would help Kyrion Caldaren. I was absolutely right about that. Kyrion didn’t have any real friends among the Regals. Even if he did, none of the lords and ladies would risk helping him for fear of incurring Holloway’s wrath. Neither would any of the Arrows. There was no place on any Imperium-controlled planet that Kyrion could hide where I wouldn’t find him within a matter of weeks.

But I had overlooked the other half of this fugitive equation or, in this case, the other half of Kyrion’s truebond: Vesper. Because my sister did have friends—true friends who would do anything for her, even shelter her from the Imperium.

And chief among those friends was Asterin Armas.

Vesper and Kyrion had helped Asterin protect her people and property on Tropics 33 during the recent Techwave attack there. Given her earlier talk of honor, I had no doubt the Erzton lady thought she owed the couple a debt, and there was one obvious way she could repay it. Of course. I should have seen it sooner. Perhaps I would have seen it sooner if I hadn’t been so focused on my own issues with Asterin.

I didn’t need the Imperium’s generals or the Arrows’ information or even my own network of spies. I knew exactly where Kyrion and Vesper were going and where they planned to hide from Holloway while they figured out their next move—Sygnustern, the Erzton home planet.

But the knowledge didn’t fill me with the sense of triumph I’d expected. Instead, a surprising amount of worry gnawed at my heart, while a nagging question whispered through my mind.

What was I going to do with the information?