| |
ATLANTA: I HEARD YOU lost people from your kingdom in the attack. I’m sorry to hear that. How are you doing?
No answer.
Atlanta: My offer still stands. If you need to talk you can call me. I know you said that we shouldn’t talk anymore but I thought you might need a friend.
No answer.
* * *
“YOU HAVE A LOT OF NERVE showing up here.” Ammeal leaned back in his chair and squinted at Melis.
“I’m aware.” Melis said from the seat opposite Ammeal.
Imgin and Enne stood at his back. Although Melis was now sure Ammeal hadn’t had a hand in Imir and Yolto’s plan, Enne wouldn’t let him travel to Ammeal’s kingdom without proper security, and wouldn’t allow for Themba to travel there with him. His reasoning had been that if they were together, someone might make an attempt on their lives again.
Ammeal stared at Melis long and hard. “You killed another Kgosi with your bare hands.”
“I’m aware of that too.”
Ammeal grunted. “They were fools.” He glanced toward a window. Ammeal’s kingdom wasn’t as dry as Melis’s. His had ample rainfall and the scenery outside the windows was full of lush greenery. “But that doesn’t excuse the killing.”
“They made three attempts on my life and one on one of my guests. You’ll forgive me if I don’t agree with you. My only regret was that it was messy. I had to replace the carpet in my conference room. My father liked that carpet.”
Ammeal humphed. “Yolto was wrong. Your father wasn’t as easy to get along with as he remembered. When someone dies, the living remember what they want to; the talks, laughter, good times and forget about the bad.” Ammeal’s gaze settled on Melis again. “At the first hint of an assassination attempt your father would’ve sent his own assassin to Imir and Yolto’s kingdoms.”
Melis straightened in his seat. “Forgive me if I don’t remember him the same way. My father wasn’t a ruthless killer.”
“No, that he wasn’t. He was methodical. He wouldn’t have killed them, but he would’ve sent the message that he shouldn’t be messed with. The assassin might’ve shown up every night for a week. Not to kill, but to remind them that at any minute he could take their lives and the only reason he hadn’t yet was because the kill order hadn’t been received. No matter what they did; hired extra guards, put in new security systems, changed rooms, left the palace, it wouldn’t matter. The assassin would show up. Make his point. Then leave.”
“I wasn’t aware you and my father were that close. You must’ve been, if he confided this to you.”
Ammeal lifted an eyebrow. “We weren’t very close. I know this story because that’s what he did to me.”
“Oh, I’m...um...I...”
Ammeal put up a hand. “You were a child and I can’t even remember what the disagreement was about. We both lost our heads and words and threats were exchanged. I’d threatened your life and he took issue with that.”
“As he should’ve.”
“I wasn’t going to go through with it. As I said, you were a child.” Ammeal let out a breath. “It’s time for all of this infighting to cease. I’m getting too old for this. There’s no reason for us not to work together. I have three grandchildren. All girls. I want to enjoy what little time I have left with them without worrying about a fool from a different kingdom targeting us.”
“I would never assassinate your family. I want us to unite Ipakethe under one unified government.”
“I read your proposal. It’s grand. Might not work.”
“I know. But I think we should try.”
Ammeal nodded his head. “You have my support.”
* * *
ATLANTA: I WAS THINKING about you. It’s been a while since I heard from you. I just wanted to make sure you were doing well.
No answer.
Atlanta: Melis?
No answer.
* * *
“SO, YOU’VE COME TO visit my lowly kingdom.” Rantu smirked. The guards and advisors standing around him laughed.
Melis didn’t say anything. He instead let the other Kgosi enjoy his moment. Rantu was on his throne, a monstrosity of metal that appeared uncomfortable. It was set high on a dais and, because of that, Rantu had to lean over to speak to Melis.
Even without the height difference Melis would’ve felt small. Rantu was large, as were his guards and advisors. He was shirtless and only wore a fur hide draped over his massive shoulders. His chest, arms and stomach muscles were on full display. Fur pants covered his legs but Melis could tell they were muscular as well. Melis wondered why he was half-naked in the only region on the planet that was cold for most of the year.
Rantu stopped smirking and, as if on cue, the laughter around him stopped. He looked Melis up and down with disdain. “Your father and grandfather never visited this kingdom. Why you, and why now? Do you think to rip my guts out as well?”
Melis kept his hands at his sides, showing no outward aggression. There were only three of them in his party compared to over twenty of Rantu’s warriors; males and females. All looked formidable. There was no way Melis would risk going against those odds. “That was an unfortunate event.”
“What was unfortunate about it? That he tried to kill you or that you had to kill him?”
“That he tried to kill me.”
Silence.
Rantu tipped his head toward the ceiling and let out a roaring laugh. Everyone around him laughed with the same vigor.
“I would have loved to have seen Imir’s guts spilling from his body.”
“They were supposed to have invited you. We were all to discuss my plan for Ipakethe.”
Rantu grunted and leaned back in his chair. “I read your proposal. What’s in this for us?”
“A unified Ipakethe. Additional trade routes. Credits from tourists. A seat on the governing body of the AC-141 XM3 sector.”
Rantu waved a hand around. “We’re a small kingdom. No one ever includes us in any decision making. If you open our borders the only thing that we can be sure of is that the people of my kingdom might have someone else telling them what to do. They don’t want anyone else telling them what to do but me.”
“I could’ve left you out of all the decision making. I could continue on my quest and, once my vision becomes reality, I could edge you out.” Everyone in the room growled. Melis kept his eyes on Rantu. No one would make a move without Rantu’s approval. He was Alpha here. “But I didn’t. From the very beginning, I’ve included you. I’ve reached out to you, sent you schematics, plans and updates. You chose not to respond, and yet, here I am again, appealing to you. In person.”
Rantu snarled and looked away. “Only because one Kgosi is dead and another sits in your prison. You need me to continue this scheme of yours.”
“No, I don’t. I have enough allies to push forward without you. I have Ammeal’s help and blessing. We could rule Ipakethe together if we want.” Melis lifted his shoulder because what he said was true. “We’re now the two largest kingdoms on planet.”
Rantu straightened and glared at Melis. “Do you dare come into my house and threaten me?”
“No. I came to your house to ask you to join us.”
* * *
MELIS SIPPED HIS TEA. The breeze that swept across him felt nice and refreshing. As soon as he set his cup down a servant rushed over to refill it.
“I understand Kgosi Imir’s daughter was crowned as his successor and her first act was to close down her borders.”
Queen Anaiel set down her tea, and when a servant appeared to give her a refill, she waved him away. She was beautiful, an older version of Una. But, unlike Una, she didn’t have the body modifications that had made Una appear off-putting and disproportioned.
“She’s not letting anyone in or out. I’ve reached out to her, but so far she hasn’t responded to any of my correspondence.”
“You’re not her favorite person right now, and do you blame her? Do you think she set off the bomb in retaliation for your killing her father?”
“I’m not sure, so I don’t want to say yes or no.”
Queen Anaiel angled toward him and smiled. “Come on, Melisizwe. Can I call you that? It’s just us. You can tell me your thoughts.”
Queen Anaiel seemed to know the happenings on Ipakethe, although her daughter was no longer on the planet. The morning after the bombing Mxolisi had found that they’d been hacked. Someone was downloading their outgoing and incoming communications. He’d built a program to protect them, but Melis didn’t want to let down his guard. He didn’t communicate any personal information unless it was face-to-face.
Now he wondered if he was sitting with the offender. He wouldn’t doubt it. Queen Anaiel’s connections reached far and wide.
“You’ll understand if I decline from spreading rumors and falsehoods. I would rather speak the truth.”
Queen Anaiel gave him a slight nod, showing her appreciation for his words.
“How is Princess Una?”
“Queen Una now.”
“Really? She’s made a match already?” It had only been two months since he’d sent all of his off-world guests from Ipakethe and to safety.
“She’s beautiful and she has me as a mother. When you declined to make an offer, a king who I’d had my eye on extended one.” By the tone of her voice she was obviously still upset that Melis had sent Una home.
“You had your eye on him?”
She let out a small chuckle. “Not in that way, of course. I’m far too old and set in my ways to entertain the thought of sharing my rule with someone else. No, that’s what lovers are for. The king has access to ports that are off limits to...law abiding kingdoms. I thought the match would be beneficial for both planets.” Melis opened his mouth to ask Queen Anaiel what she meant by her statement, but she continued, “Tell me why you’re here. Surely it isn’t to inquire about Una.”
“No, it isn’t. I wondered if I could broker an alliance with you.”
Her eyebrow rose. “An alliance? I have alliances with rulers of Class 2-ii planets. Why would I need to align myself with your small world?”
“You sent your daughter to me hoping for a match. Fifth daughter, but daughter all the same. I wondered why, because, as you said, you’re used to aligning your kingdom with others that are on the same class as you or better. It can’t be our wealth. We’re paupers compared to you. It can’t be because of our army. You have ten times the fighters. And although your daughter can be...difficult at times, it wasn’t to get rid of her. I checked; she had numerous offers and most of them would make better allies than us. So that made me realize we obviously have something you couldn’t find anywhere else.”
He took another sip of his tea, savoring the boldness of the brew. “Is this homegrown or is it imported?”
“Homegrown.”
He took another sip. “I like it. You will tell me how to order this, won’t you?”
“Melisizwe, you have my attention, but you’re quickly losing it.”
He smiled. He wasn’t losing her attention. She was growing impatient because he’d found her out.
After he’d sent Una home, he’d received numerous messages from Queen Anaiel; condolences on those he’d lost, offers of advice. And each time he’d tried to understand why someone as powerful as Queen Anaiel was contacting him, even after he’d put her daughter in danger and refused to bond with her.
Then he’d remembered something Lanta had said, “Queen Anaiel likes her gadgets. Her wealth comes from the patents she has. Mxolisi could benefit from having a backer as connected as she is.”
Melis had requested an audience and, unsurprisingly, was granted one.
“Then I guess I was mistaken.” He finished his tea and, this time, when a servant rushed over to refill it, he declined. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I know you must be extremely busy so I won’t take up any more of your time. Please extend my well-wishes to Una when you talk to her again.”
He stood, preparing to leave.
Her eyes narrowed. Something flickered behind them. “Your bother is working on a communication device that would send transmissions instantly to another galaxy.”
Mxolisi was always working on some device or another, but Melis knew exactly which one she referred to.
Mxolisi was very excited about the possibility of being able to communicate with people in different galaxies almost instantaneously. The most current device had a lag time of days and that depended on a multitude of factors. Mxolisi’s new design was expensive, big, and due to the radiation the device emitted, it had to be housed on an uninhabitable planet where there was no risk of contamination.
“I can confirm this is true. He stopped working on it because of the expense. Although the design is sound, the parts needed to make it are very expensive. More expensive than our small kingdom can afford to spend on something with no direct benefit to us.”
Mxolisi had been upset when Melis had told him. It wasn’t just the device itself that made it expensive. There was also the question of where to house it. And all for what? For Mxolisi to prove that it could be done? He didn’t mind lending the funds to make his brother’s dreams a reality, but Melis had to make sure what he funded was for the good of Ipakethe and, right now, saying hello to other beings in another galaxy wasn’t a high priority.
“I’ll give you the funds to make it and I’ll provide you a planet to house it on.”
He’d learned a few things about Queen Anaiel, and funding projects out of the goodness of her heart wasn’t one of them. “Mxolisi will never sign full rights of his design over to you.”
“He doesn’t have to. I want to partner with him. I pay to build it and he slaps his name on it.”
“That doesn’t sound like a fair deal to you. What will you get out of it?”
“I want part ownership of it. I want equal say on how it is used and equal profits gained.”
“I can’t make that decision for him.”
She sat back and took a sip of her tea. “I know. But you want an alliance; a seat on the governing body of the AC-141 XM3 sector, and extra troops to secure your border against the upset daughter. You’ll talk to him for me.”
* * *
“MELISIZWE!” BIENKE breezed into the room that Melis had been shown to when he’d arrived at her palace with open arms.
“Princess Bienke.” Melis was genuinely happy to see her. He met her embrace and hugged her. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
She released him and took him by the hand to lead him to a couch. He sat, and she took the seat next to him. She was as beautiful as he remembered. Dark skin that radiated and shimmered with a hint of purple, and light grey eyes that stood out.
She squeezed his hand before letting go. “I was so happy to hear from you. How are things on Ipakethe? I’ve been paying attention to the news files. Most of the Kgosi’s are unified, no?”
“Most. Kgosi Yolto has a trial that will begin upon my return. His heir is mounting his defense, and Imir’s daughter is still not responding to communication from anyone. But I have the alliances of the other two kingdoms, yes.”
“Good. Good. Hopefully you will find resolution soon.”
“I’ve already enlisted Sira’s help. She’s trying to contact Imir’s daughter and heir as well. I’ve asked her to broker a peace agreement between our kingdoms. No one wants to see this go to war.”
“If anyone can help it is Sira. She’s good at what she does.”
Melis had been surprised to hear from Sira. He had it in his mind that he would deal with Imir’s daughter later. But when Sira called him to extend her services, he’d been more than grateful. She hadn’t contacted him because she thought a bond was still likely, she’d contacted him because she considered them friends, and so did he.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“After I first left Ipakethe things were not so good. There were attempts on my life.”
Melis inhaled sharply. “I’m so sorry. I thought everyone would be safe after leaving.”
“I’ve spoken to the others and they didn’t have the same experience as I did. I don’t know why I was the target.” He couldn’t control the guilt splattered across his face. She pat his hand. “Do not feel bad, Melisizwe, I am fine. My security is excellent and the attempts have since ceased.”
“Bienke...” was all he could get out. He didn’t know how to express how sorry he was that she’d been at risk because of him.
“I mean it. No worries. Please tell me what I can do to help you. That is why you came, no?”
“I hate to request a favor when I wasn’t available to see you off properly and now knowing that you were in harm’s way.”
“Melisizwe, you had a lot on your mind. Some of your staff had been murdered and your kingdom was in peril. It was understandable that you had business to attend to.”
He gave her a genuine smile. “You are truly a wonderful person.”
She blushed. Her cheeks were more purple now. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“My choice was going to be you. I was planning to pull you aside and discuss the arrangements during the ball. I’d hoped to make the announcement at the end of the night.”
“I guess the bomb ruined the moment.” She let out a light chuckle. “But you’re not here to ask me to be your mate, are you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
She sighed. “Everything happens for a reason.” She patted his hand. “Please ask your question.”
“Even though we aren’t mated I wanted to inquire about an alliance. Ipakethe isn’t comparable to—”
“Of course.”
“Of course? Yes?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
He let out a heavy breath. “I need three recommendations for the application for a seat on the governing body for my sector. Do you mind—?”
“That’s been done.”
“Really?” he blinked his surprise. “When?”
“Queen Anaiel called me a few weeks ago and asked if I could send my recommendation in with hers.”
“She did?”
Bienke chuckled. “I would’ve said yes to you anyway, Melisizwe, but Queen Anaiel can be quite persuasive. Especially when she wants something. She’s a good ally to have.”
“Yes, she is.”
“Why didn’t you pick me? You could’ve, even after the melee. But you didn’t. Why not?”
Melis pressed his lips together tightly. He didn’t want to tell Bienke he was in love with another. Bringing it up hurt too much.
“The guard?” she asked softly when he didn’t answer.
Melis nodded. “How did you know?”
“Everyone who saw the way you two looked at each other knew. The chemistry was palpable.”
“I didn’t mean...I wanted to go through with a bonding with you.”
“And I would have agree to it. But, like I said, everything happens for a reason.”
“I think someone had found out that information and targeted you. Again, I’m sorry for making you a target.”
“I’ve been a target since I was born. I’m the only heir to my kingdom. But enough about me. Tell me, have you bonded with your guard?”
“No.”
“And why not?”
“I had to make sure that when I brought her home, it would be to a stable kingdom and safe planet.”
Bienke smiled. “But now you plan to?”
“If she’ll have me.”
Bienke reached over to squeeze his hand. “I’ll be looking for my invite to the ceremony.”
Melis prayed to the Ancients there would be a ceremony. He hoped the last words Lanta had told him when they were face-to-face weren’t true. He didn’t know what he would do if she had forgotten about him.