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“No, Your Majesty.” A nervous edge appeared in Kasim’s tone.
“However, I recognize that you are not at liberty to travel to the palace for an audience, either now or in a year’s time. One might admire the desperate gamble, seizing this opportunity and hoping that the crown will forgive in our time of grief rather than be offended.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Which is it?”
“Pardon, Your Majesty?”
“Are you ghoulish or desperate?”
“I couldn’t…” Kasim glanced behind him as if seeking guidance from another more skilled person.
Baris sighed. As a political rival, Kasim lacked many necessary qualifications. Intelligence, for one.
“Forgive my cousin, Your Majesty.” A female approached, soft-spoken, with her hands clasped before her, cupping a stone with bands of black and deep gray.
“Agate? An unusual choice,” Baris said.
“Yes. Joie admired agate.” Her posture and voice were meek, almost timid. She glanced up, and he noticed her sharp, calculating eyes.
Ah. The mastermind.
“Allow me to present my cousin, Lisandra,” Kasim said, his confidence returned. “We can discuss the future of our families over a meal.”
“I’m sure His Majesty is far too busy to spend an evening with us,” Lisandra said, sounding perfectly shy and embarrassed by her cousin’s rough manners. She caught him watching her and blushed. It was a rather good performance.
“It is a long journey back to the core planets. Let us give you a good meal before you are reduced to eating the ship’s food.” Kasim delivered his lines with all the grace and fineness of being hit with a wooden rod. Then in a softer voice, “I am also unmated, if Your Majesty’s tastes lay in that direction. The Starshades are eager to solidify the union of our two houses.”
It did not matter what direction his tastes lay. The thought of a union with another member of the Starshade house was abhorrent.
Baris kept his expression blank, letting the male wait for a response. Lisandra was far too cool as her face remained placid.
“You presume that I still desire a union with your house,” Baris said at length. “You are incorrect.”
“Your Majesty, I must insist that you take a new mate. As soon as possible,” Kasim said, the pretense of politeness now vanished.
The clouds parted again, and the sun gleamed on metal. Baris was aware of how many guards the Starshades had present. Too many for a family-only funeral. His brother had been correct. The funeral was a trap. Vekele would gloat at his prediction, but truthfully, Baris had wanted the Starshades to attempt some foolery.
Anticipate the best, be prepared for the worst. That could very well be the family motto, and he had months to devise the best way to strike back.
“You must insist,” Baris said, his tone low with warning. The symbiote under his skin stirred, itching to be unleashed.
“Do not force me into making this situation unpleasant. Joie’s death is already a tragedy. Take Lisandra as your queen and keep the peace.”
Months ago, Baris elected to spare the Starshade house and let them live, albeit confined to their planet with no way off the planet. If he had slaughtered them as they deserved, he would have turned the family into martyrs, ensuring that there would be no way to hold the peace with the other noble houses in the outer realm.
Baris sighed and rolled his shoulders, still unused to the absent weight of his karu. He was so very tired of this game. His three guards were outnumbered, and his ship was too far a distance to make a quick exit. Not that he would flee from this viper.
Shadows gathered despite the sun. The symbiote swirled on the surface of his skin like a dark stain. Baris felt the strain as his wings wanted to burst free, but they lacked the strength to do so.
“I spared you, Kasim Starshade. You repay my kindness with a clumsy threat? No. There will be no negotiating. The fact that you still breathe is because?—”
“Because I have more soldiers,” the male interrupted. A cruel smile spread across his face. “And all my digits.”
Baris gestured with the barest flick of his fingers and Kasim was on the ground, clutching his face in agony. The fallen male’s hands hid the injury, but as the scarlet blood seeped out between his fingers, it was apparent what had happened.
Royal guards materialized, having thrown off their invisibility veils. They shimmered in the light, the unique properties of the veils bending the light. His guards surrounded him, weapons primed and pointed at the Starshade forces. They would not hesitate to use them.
