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“This?” he said. “It’s ceremonial.”
“Be that as it may, I still have to confiscate it—only until after the celebrations are over. You can collect it again from us when you leave.”
Zes fingered the knife. He moved as if to hand it over before spinning it in his palm and drawing it under the servant’s neck.
“Which knife?” he said. “This knife?”
His eyes glinted with mischief. The servant quaked in his boots.
“P-Please, sir,” he said. “I’m j-just doing my j-job.”
Zes eased back and sighed.
“If that were true, Sunny Jim, none of us would be here to begin with,” he said.
He handed the blade over to the servant, who was still shaking.
“M-May I take your n-name?” the servant said.
“It’s complicated,” Zes said. “I’ll spell it for you. F-U-C-K Y-O-U…”
I left Zes at it. He was a genius when it came to annoying people. The guy had an inexhaustible supply of tricks and turns of phrase.
I entered the palace’s main ballroom. Lords and ladies circled, greeting one another in quiet conversation. Only those with the greatest dishonor appeared to be enjoying themselves—the ones that surrendered to the enemy without a second thought.
But who was I to judge? I had done the same thing.
We were not the only Titans in the galaxy. There were many others. Some still held to our old warrior ways. I often wondered what they would make of those of us who had become soft and easy to manipulate.
A quartet played soft music at the back of the ballroom. But it wasn’t just any music. It was the Titan victory celebration, played after great acts of valor.
Either the Changelings were welcoming us to share in their victory or they were rubbing our noses in our loss. I didn’t know the Changelings well enough to know.
I suspected that would change by the end of the evening.
To my eyes, there were two potential outcomes. Either the Changelings wanted us to swear fealty to them or they brought us all here to slaughter us. I put the odds at fifty-fifty for either scenario.
Despite the likely chance of death, I hadn’t hesitated to come. If they wanted me dead, they could do it at any time and anywhere. Coming today meant I had a chance to get to know our conquerors and figure out what sort of future we might look forward to.
A Titan servant extended a silver tray of champagne at me.
Champagne.
“Do you have any Titan ale?” I said.
“Only at the bar, sir,” the servant said, not raising his eyes from the floor.
“No champagne for me, thanks,” I said.
The Titan’s eyes flicked up and glanced at me. His anger burned visibly on his face.
I leaned forward and whispered in the young man’s ear.
“Watch your anger,” I said. “Some might take offense.”
He ducked apologetically and made a hasty exit. The last thing we needed was a scene, especially here of all places.
I didn’t blame how he felt, but turning his anger on me wouldn’t help anyone. Surrender was humiliating in Titan culture. ‘Better to die in honor than live a day in humiliation,’ was another pearl of Titan wisdom.
