Cassandra's Challenge (79 page)

“I know that Cassandra, but I also remember what
it was like, to have a life mate, to need to share with her.” She
finds she can say nothing, the King’s use of her first name has
shocked her.

“Tomorrow…today, I will go before the Assembly
informing them my son is a traitor.” Jotham looks into the cup in
his hands.

“Jotham…” William pales at the thought. This
will destroy Jotham’s reign, the House of Protection.

“Why would you do that Majesty?” Cassandra asks
truly puzzled.

Jotham looks at her. “You know why. My son is
responsible for deaths, thousands of deaths. He used when he should
have protected.”

“What I
know
Majesty is that Dadrian
contacted Barek on board the Sentinel to ask his brother for advice
on a problem he was having. That I can prove. That’s
all
I
can
prove
.”

“You know there’s more, the Regulians….”

“Attacked the fleet as they always have.”
Cassandra rises puts a memory foil into the comm and after a few
key strokes removes it. Walking back to William she holds it out to
him.

What is she doing? William looks at her, looks
at the foil, he raises concerned eyes to her. Does she really want
to do this? Looking into her eyes he sees she does. He takes the
foil from her.

“It wasn’t a normal attack, it was caused by
Dadrian.” Jotham watches them.

“Prove it.” She turns back to Jotham.

“What?”

“Prove it. What is your proof?” She demands.

“He admitted to it, he ran.”

“He
admitted
nothing and he
fell
.
What proof can
you
produce that says anything different?”
Cassandra pounds at him.

“You have the transmissions.” Jotham watches as
William snaps the memory foil in two.

“What transmissions Jotham?” He asks.

“You can’t do that! There must be justice!”
Jotham surges to his feet.

“I couldn’t agree more Majesty, but this isn’t
justice, it serves no better good. It only causes the innocent to
suffer and that isn’t justice, or at least not what I consider
justice.”

Jotham looks at his friend. “William, make her
understand.”

“I can’t Jotham, I agree with her.” William
rises looking from his life mate to his friend and King. “The only
one who will benefit if this is the original traitor. It will put
the House of Protection in a position that it may never recover
from. Loss of trust, you know what that means Jotham. It won’t
affect just you but Barek and
his
children. He doesn’t
deserve that.”

“We don’t always get what we deserve.” Jotham
walks to the window, looking out into the dark.

“No, Majesty we don’t, we deal with what life
gives us.” Cassandra looks at him, sees a man, a father struggling
with his son’s decisions. “May I speak freely Majesty?”

Jotham turns. “You haven’t been?” Her eyes don’t
change.

“Speak.” She looks to William, he nods.

“You don’t know me Majesty. Don’t know my
beliefs. You’ve found reasons to doubt. I don’t hold that against
you. But everything I’ve just said I can say about you.” She sees
Jotham’s eyes change. “The difference is…William…he believes in
you…I believe in him…therefore if I trust his judgment and I do, I
must
believe in you.”

She looks at William drawing strength. “Things
happen within families. Some good, some bad, you can hurt each
other. If you’re lucky you have time to make it right. Dadrian
didn’t have that time. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have if he
had. Grant him the benefit of the doubt Majesty, it’s the least any
of us can do.”

Jotham looks at the two, seeing the unit they
make, a solid unit. She should be out for blood, after what Dadrian
did to her. But she wasn’t.

“Others will find the transmissions.”

“Why would they look?”

“What?”

“They aren’t in Regulian,” She stares at Jotham.
“There’s nothing there to cause someone to take a second look.”

“You
took a second look.”

“Jotham,” William looks at his friend. “When
Cassandra explained to you how she found the transmissions…she made
it sound easy. It wasn’t. She’s the only one to
ever
break
the codes. To link them, no one else will.”

“And justice?”

“I will have it.” Cassandra’s hard eyes meet
his. “But I will have it from the one who started it. The one that
is alive.
He
is responsible Majesty, for all of it.
He
started this.
He
killed seven billion people, to
stop me from getting to this point.
He’s
the reason Dadrian
ever thought about doing the unthinkable. Justice will be served
when
he
is revealed. Not Dadrian.” Jotham looks at her
considering.

“Jotham, she’s right. Let it go.”

“Can you…after he attacked your life mate? Can
you let it go?” Jotham watches William tenses, knowing it needed to
be said. “Can you?” He turns his eyes to Cassandra.

She also feels William tense. Wishing Jotham
would have just let it go, left it unsaid. But that would have been
the easy way, and neither of these men would ever take it.

“Yes.” Cassandra’s eyes are steady as they meet
Jotham’s. She’s not going to let her mistake come between them.

“William?” Jotham looks at his friend.

William looks to Cassandra, his life mate, she
is the one Dadrian attacked. She’s willing to let it go. Is he?

Cassandra sees the struggle in his eyes. He
raises a hand to gently caress her cheek. She is here, Dadrian is
not.

“Yes, I can let it go.” William’s eyes are open
and honest as they look at his friend.

Jotham sits, a weight he didn’t know he was
carrying has lifted. He scrubs his face with his hands. Dadrian’s
actions hadn’t cost him his friend.

“Thank you. Thank you both.” Jotham looks over
to see they’ve sat back down.

“Not necessary Jotham.”

“Yes it is, and it’s a lot to forgive. I’m in
your debt.”

“No.”

“Don’t argue with me William, I’m your King.”
Jotham smiles at him, the first real smile he’s had in days.

“You were his friend first.” Cassandra corrects
him.

“Yes, yes I was.” Jotham is still smiling as he
looks at Cassandra then back to William. “Do you ever win an
argument against her?”

“Not when she believes she’s right.” William
smiles back.

“Now wait a minute, this is two against one.”
William wraps an arm around her pulling her into a hug.

“Am I wrong?” He looks down at her.

She looks up at him, understanding. “Trick
question. No matter how I answer you’re right.”

Jotham laughs. Yes these two were truly life
mates. They understood each other. They would need it. His smile
fades.

“Queen Yakira has convinced the other Royals and
Assemblymen to forego the rest of the gatherings and call the
Challenge. Jotham watches the humor leave William’s eyes.

“When.” He demands.

“Tomorrow. 1300.”

“Fuck!” William stands. Cassandra watches him
with concerned eyes.

“William…”

“She’s trying to control the Challenge.” He runs
a hand through his hair as he paces. “She thinks if the Assembly is
called now they will vote in her favor.” Jotham nods his
agreement.

“So?”

“So? Cassandra it might work.”

“William,” She walks over to him. “That doesn’t
matter, not to me, you
know
that.”

“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter!” Jotham
stands. “It’s what the Challenge is all about.”

“No it’s not, not for me.” Cassandra fires over
her shoulder, her eyes never leaving William’s.

“Would someone explain to
me
what’s going
on?” Jotham demands. “The whole point of the Challenge is for you
to be declared Queen. It’s why you’re here.”

“No it’s not.” Cassandra’s voice is angry.
“There are more important things.”

“William…” Jotham looks at his friend.

“The point of Cassandra’s Challenge is to have a
full Assembly.” He finally looks from Cassandra to his friend and
King. “You have to have a full Assembly if you are going to accuse
a Royal of treason.”

“A Royal? Another Royal?”

“Yes.”

“You were never truly challenging Yakira, that’s
why you wouldn’t show your birthmark.”

“I never
cared
about being Queen, just
justice. And my birthmark is my business.”

“Jotham, she is the Queen, there is no
doubt.”

“William…” She’s cut off by his comm
ringing.

“Zafar.”

“Dad, its Victoria.” Through the line all three
can hear Victoria’s terrified screams. Cassandra’s halfway down the
hall before either man moves.

“No! No! Let me go!” Victoria is struggling in
Lucas’ arms.

“Calm down Victoria!” Lucas is getting
desperate.

“Give her to me,” Cassandra orders entering the
room. “I’m here baby, I’m here. She wraps her arms around her,
holding on tight, rocking her. “Shhhhhh….you’re safe. Look at me
Victoria.”

Cassandra tips her head up, “Open your eyes and
look at me.” Her voice firm, finally Victoria does. “I’m here, your
safe.”

“The Glitter Man….”

“Isn’t here, look. Look who’s in the room.” She
eases her hold so she can see Lucas, Kyle, Leander, Jotham and
William sitting right next to her. “See no Glitter Man.”

Jotham’s followed William as he raced across the
hall. The feisty, charming little girl he’d met before is now a
terrified child, clinging to her Aunt as if her world is ending.
And it had. He’d forgotten. It had for both of them. Because of
this traitor, this traitor she’s worried he will interfere with her
exposing.

“You were falling.” Victoria whispers to
Cassandra. “The Glitter Man made you fall, the Admiral couldn’t get
to you.”

“Shhh…just a dream…” Cassandra pulls her close,
her eyes meeting William’s. “It was just a bad dream.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” She gives her a quick hug then
eases back. “Let’s get you back in your own bed. Okay?”

“Okay.”

William stands taking Victoria from Cassandra’s
arms. “Hey kiddo, let me carry you.” With Victoria arms around his
neck he lifts her with one arm while helping Cassandra up with the
other. As a family they turn to leave the room.

“Lucas….” Cassandra looks at him.

“Later. Take care of her first.” She nods.

The first sun is rising as they lay Victoria
down in her own bed. Exhausted she falls quickly to sleep.
Returning to the private area Cassandra stops short, finding Jotham
still there.

He sees her fatigue and her strength as she
straightens her shoulders ready to stand. Stand for what she
believes in. Stand for who she loves. In this case, his most
trusted friend William. She’s willing to trust
him
because
she trusts William. Maybe it was time for him to follow suit.

“It’s easy to forget.” Jotham speaks first,
looking from his friend to Cassandra.

“What is?” Her voice is calm her eyes
steady.

“What you’ve been through, what you’ve both
survived. She was clinging to you as if her word was falling apart,
because it did, for both of you. Everything and everyone you knew
is gone.”

“Yes.” Cassandra’s voice is tight but steady.
William puts a hand at her back giving her his support.

“Yet you fit. Here. You make it look easy, as if
this was where you were always meant to be.”

“Maybe she was.” William tells his friend.

“Nothing about this is
easy
, Majesty.”
Cassandra walks away from William, pacing. “Having a nine year old
little girl terrorized isn’t
easy
. Having the man I love and
trust doubted by his closest friend isn’t
easy
, but I’ll be
damned
if I’m going to let that s
on of a bitch
get
away with it! With murdering seven billion people on the
chance,
that I could be Queen.” Jotham final sees her true
fury and it is amazing.

“You want revenge.”

“I want justice. There’s a difference.”

“Yes, there is. And the Challenge? Why not be
declared Queen then go after the traitor?”

“Can you decree justice, Majesty? And have it be
true justice?”

“No.”

“So tomorrow we will find out if there is
justice on Carina, after that we can worry about whether or not I
take the throne.”

“Cassandra….” William walks over to her, rubbing
her arms, he feels the slight tremor.

“William claims you are the Queen.”

“She is!” William’s voice is angry, he’s tired
of Jotham’s doubts.

“Then why is there a question about the throne!”
Jotham won’t give up.

“Because of
me
!” William’s eyes are
blazing as he looks at his friend. Cassandra has pushed too far,
again. “Come on, you need to lie down.”

“I’m fine.” William’s had enough sweeping her up
into his arms he carries her into their bedroom, laying her down in
the middle of the bed.

“You will stay here and you will rest!”

“Damn it William.”

“I mean it, you’re trembling. I won’t have it!”
Leaning done he kisses her letting her know the extent of his
anger, his concern. Framing his face she returns the kiss, trying
to comfort him.

“Alright, I could lie down for a while. But what
will Jotham think?”

“I’ll handle Jotham.” Giving her another hard
kiss he rises, shutting the door on his way out.

He finds Jotham looking at Lata’s garden as the
second sunrise starts to rise. He turns when he hears the door
shut.

“Is she okay?”

“Just worn out.” William walks over pouring them
both a glass of Carinian Ale.

“She stands so strong.”

“Until she breaks.” He hands his friend a
glass.

“She’d sacrifice the throne for you.”