control.
Sarah bristled in the low-cut dress, warmed by the enveloping humidity around the pool, body standing still in Vinnet’s control.
It was both so much better and so much worse than Sarah expected. The creepy neck lump didn't wipe her out, and it wasn't even going to control her all the time. One point to her having a future! On the flip side, she apparently didn't get to have any privacy from it, and while it professed to want to take care of her, it had no problems intentionally cutting and bruising her. Two points to the end of her world.
Her eyes rolled. The situation will look better in time.
Vinnet pushed the pool room's—implantation chamber's—doors open and stopped short at the waiting guards—the one whose arm Sarah had hacked and the old, scarred man from her saucer.
Both bowed. Sarah checked whether anyone was watching; no one had bowed to her before.
“Congratulations on your rebirth, Queen Anjedet!” one stammered. He still spoke German, but Sarah understood through Vinnet's comprehension, as if reading invisible subtitles. Okay, that was a perk.
This man mocked you when they left you with me? Vinnet focused on the man whose arm she'd cut.
Yeah?
Allow me to be petty. Vinnet waited for him to straighten and pegged him with a glare. “Why was my vassal not fed? Why does your queen awaken to new life on an empty stomach?”
He squirmed, glancing aside to his buddy for help. “It was not my duty...”
“You should have seen to it that the others' duties were not overlooked. You are dismissed!”
With a shallower bow, he scurried down the hall the way Sarah had been carried up.
Sarah stared after him. Why would you do that?
Because he made you uncomfortable, and because I can. He was out of line to mock you. An implantation isn't payback for his cut arm, and it's not a joke. She faced the remaining guard and raised an expectant eyebrow.
He jerked his eyes off his fleeing friend. “Lord Banebdjedet would be honored by your presence at the feast.”
With her nod, he led her down the back stairs.
Sarah scraped her wits together. You just ditched that guy, and he listened to you!
The stairwell led into a second latticework hallway. You and I have both felt powerless since we arrived. Now, they believe we outrank everyone on this planet. A moment's self-satisfaction will do no harm.
A little indulgence for Sarah. Vinnet might even have felt more satisfied than she. I've never had anyone stand up for me like that.
No one?
Not the other kids on the bus when she got asked to say words that sounded strange to the native Pennsylvanians. Not the teachers when she got ridiculed for high test scores. Not her parents, who kept asking her to fit in and then complained when her grades matched the other kids’.
No one.
Except, this one time, someone who wasn’t even her species.
The right wall flowed into an archway of carved wooden flowers, and as Vinnet passed her escort, all her attention shifted to whatever they'd find on the other side.
Man, if that was how the symbiont felt about someone who made a face at her, what was she going to do to Mr. Marshall?
The floral archway melded into a few yards of ornate, mahogany tunnel that emerged onto the dais at the front of a deep banquet hall. Two unnecessarily large chair backs blocked part of their view of the dense crowd filling the room; two stiff, bronze arms extended beyond the right throne’s edges, so Vinnet stepped to the left.
The moment the crowd caught sight of her, cheers erupted throughout the entire gathering, startling butterflies from the evergreen decorations at the front of the dais. Their bright wings fluttered up to join the swarm between the high-set windows.
Beside her, Banebdjedet stood, his black mustache wrapped around a smile of perfectly ordered, bleach-white teeth. He reached out, and Sarah tried to jerk away. Immobile in Vinnet’s control, her body stayed put, and he stroked the back of her neck. Throbbing pain sparked across her neck and down her spine, and Vinnet flinched away. He moved his hand to her cheek.
Oh my gosh, get him off me!
I can’t. So much for Vinnet as unconditional champion. Her mental presence emanated sullen reluctance to reciprocate, but she reached up and felt the bulge to the left of his spine. The fine, bony ridge of a second spine felt especially surreal.
We're not slugs; we're vertebrates, too.
He stroked her cheek with his thumb and then stepped back, facing the audience.
With a grateful sigh, Vinnet settled Sarah’s body on the plush, green throne. I don't think he'll do that again soon.
The intimate moment kept replaying in Sarah's mind. He doesn't know me; what gives him the right?
I'm sorry. He must have known Anjedet well. I didn't expect that.
Banebdjedet raised his actual arms for attention and settled the crowd into an expectant silence. “Citizens of Setite, the Queen of Green Flame, your Queen Anjedet, has arrived. Let the feast begin.”
Beaming at her, he returned to his seat and settled the bronze arms in the gap in the cushions.
The way he looked at her, he might try to touch her again, the creep. She had to get her mind on something else. Wait, we're supposed to be this “Queen of Green Flame”? What's that mean?
The orchestra picked up, filling the spacious hall with semiharmonious music, while fleets of servers filled the banquet tables with food.
The Empress has five kings, each of whom has five lords. Lord Banebdjedet answers to King Uatschnesert, whose title is the Green Flame. That makes his queen the Queen of Green Flame.
Why was it so complicated? Aliens were always simpler on TV. But this isn’t Uatsch... Green Flame Dude. It’s Benny-J. Why does his queen have the same title?
Because she’s the same tewet. Though the answer sounded simple, Sarah felt confusion play through the symbiont. How did Banebdjedet merit his king’s queen?
More servers brought out personal dining tables for both her and Benny-J, piled them with food, and retreated, leaving the two tewet alone on the dais. Sarah's stomach growled at the smell.
Vinnet had torn into half of a roasted chicken when the creep spoke again, his voice now pitched to address only her, its harmonies light and pleasant. “I missed you, Anjedet.”
She stopped stuffing Sarah's face and swallowed. “I finally made it.” Banebdjedet can make of that what he will.
He shrunk. “I apologize for the delay. I thought you would want a selection of vassals from Earth.”
“I did, but the Empress will not be pleased.” Vinnet cut a piece of chicken and savored not only the food but also the act of eating. A year is a long time to forego eating.
He conceded her point with a nod. “I'd thought we could disregard the Empress's petty opinions.” Tentative chords filled the undertones of his voice. “You are pleased with your vassal, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “You know me well.”
He hesitated, his forehead furrowing in confusion before he resettled his smile.
He was probably disappointed he couldn’t choose from among all the others, but if he thinks he gained Anjedet’s favor, he won’t press the issue.
Now that she mentioned it, the suggestion that Sarah wouldn’t be Vinnet’s first choice seemed insulting. Even if the only reason she was here was because Mr. Marshall had happened to be assigned to the team that broke into her house. Who would he have wanted?
Vinnet took a last, large bite of chicken, and Sarah felt her recent memories playing through the symbiont’s mind, like watching a familiar movie in a stranger’s living room while standing on the street. The woman in the tight clothes, high heels, and leather jacket who was in the group to your left would have been a fair match for some Kemtewet with female vassals. For me, most of the women would have been fine, though if I’d had the time, I would have talked to several of you beforehand and chosen based on personality.
But instead, you’re stuck with me.
Vinnet closed Sarah’s eyes, deliberately cutting off her host’s vision and forcing their attention inward. I’m honored to have you. Then she reopened her eyes and continued dining. Kitchell saw that you could excel in this lifestyle. So you’re not elegant like most vassals. You’re not done growing, either. Anjedet may have chosen you anyway; one of the other girls your age had short hair.
My age? That didn’t sound good.
Vinnet finished the last of the corn on her plate. Your physical maturity: mostly grown with an unutilized reproductive system.
Okay, that’s creepy.
Vinnet settled back from the meal with Sarah’s teenage stomach full and satisfied. It’s a fact of anatomy that that is helpful for tewet reproduction.
A server traded her plate for a crystalline wine glass.
“Your plan worked.” Banebdjedet gazed beyond the crowd. “The Empress had Uatschnesert executed last night for losing you.”
Uatsch… Green Flame Dude? The queen had wanted her king dead?
“Ah, good,” Vinnet breathed.
“Teni filled his place, and the other lords advanced, but my position is undecided; the Empress knows you're here.” His voice softened. “She also had your doppelgänger executed.”
“Oh.” A chain of reasoning flicked through Vinnet's mind, ending at We're in more danger than I thought.
Why? Run that by me again.
Doppelgänger. Twin. But if he only meant twin, he would have said so. Anjedet must have left her vassal's twin in her place. She needed a new host not only because she needed to not be recognized but because she left the Central Palace through a host quarantine. Vinnet’s memories provided context: the servants’ exit killed the host, but let the symbiont pass through. This isn't a tryst or a sanctioned reward. It's a coup. She's trying to oust the Empress by building alliances with lords. Usually, they ally with kings, but the Green Flame must not have joined her.
If this is a coup, and you're trying to kill the Empress anyway, are you going to finish what she started?
If she had a good plan and left notes. She sipped the foul-smelling wine and blinked at it in surprise.
Banebdjedet rumbled on, “You said that between the Kings' Ball and her other developing plans, the Empress would be distracted. She wasn't distracted enough. An Imperial Herald arrived and demanded your return before the Ball's end, or the ISC would be dispatched to wipe out my holdings.”
Like Alderaan? The entire planet?
Or at least their capitals. A colony is a large investment. She blinked at him, her nonchalant posture making Sarah wonder whether it was really a big deal. “And?”
No, that wasn’t right. Vinnet, those are people! You can't let them die.
Watch him. He will do everything to stop that by himself. We need not defend them.
“And?” he repeated, his face turning red. “You never said this would cost me my appointment. I've put a lot of work into managing these colonies.”
“And you'll put much more into managing a kingdom.” Vinnet assumed that’s what Anjedet had offered him. What if she was wrong? “Now is no time to cave to that cow's demands.”
“The Empress will destroy me. If we have neither power nor stealth to work with, I have no choice. The Ball ends tomorrow. You will be back in time.”
Anjedet’s plan is through. Vinnet whipped the wine glass into the floor on her left, where it shattered into tiny, glistening gems in a field of red. Servants rushed forward to clean. The orchestra stopped, and conversation hushed.
“Spineless pawn!” Jumping up, she stormed into the dimness of the mahogany tunnel and emerged into the latticework hall’s firelight.
The Gertewet’s acting felt too authentic. I thought you wanted to go, but you’re not acting, are you?
His timetable is too short. If we follow through, we won’t pick up the latest intel from the capital. We’ll go in blind. She smacked the wall with a fist. And you’ll have no time to get acquainted with me. This isn’t how we’re supposed to begin.
With abductions and murder? That’s not your usual MO?
The eyes Vinnet controlled narrowed. With us as practical strangers.
Hard soles clacked behind them, and Vinnet spun as the lord caught up. “Have you changed your mind about capitulating?”
He caught her head above the tender entry wound and kissed her. His moist, warm lips pressed against hers as if he owned her.
Ew! No! Sarah tried to jerk away. His breath crawled across her face, its feet the mustache prickling her lip. Ew! Wrong!
Vinnet jerked Sarah’s head back and gazed into his dark eyes. He initiated intimacy with a queen! Did she let him do that?
The hand on Sarah’s head moved to her cheek, stroking.
Get him off me!
Her body pushed up on tip-toe and returned the kiss, lingering. His other hand pressed on the small of her back, trapping her uncooperative body against him.
My first kiss. Worst ever.
Her lips worked against his, pulsing the fleshy mass, and her hand traced his bony jaw.
What are you doing?
Acting. Her body dropped down, breaking the appalling moment. Freeing Sarah. “Perhaps Teni will be more cooperative than Uatschnesert. Try to draw him into an alliance.”
“Then how will I become king? You said—”
Vinnet silenced him with Sarah’s finger on his sloppy lips. “There are five kings. You can outrank him without disposing of him.”
Or Vinnet could kill them all and keep their dirty mitts off her body forever. That would be a start.
Her finger caressed his lips once more, and Vinnet pushed out of his arms.
Benny-J couldn’t take the hint. He caught her hand and squeezed it. “The mothership will be ready to depart for the Kings’ Ball as soon as we and your belongings are aboard.”
Vinnet stopped. Reaching the capital couldn’t be as easy as taking a kaxan. She started walking again. “I will meet you in orbit.”
Oh, joy.