The Blood Empress (17 page)

"I want to see Tarse's body now."

***

Tarse's body had been removed from the landing bay and it joined the dozens of others who had died during the attack. Nykostra and Verrad walked past the bodies of both Benzotii warriors and Votainion Resistance fighters. They were covered with brown tarps, awaiting burial.

Testor stood over the body of Tarse. His face was exposed for the Empress. She stared hard at Testor before looking down at Tarse. Testor's heads were bowed respectfully, his arms loose at his side.

Nykostra looked down at the serene face of the fallen Resistance leader. It was almost as if he were asleep and not dead. Memories of her fallen lover Ketar, and of Tarse flooded her head as she knelt down beside him. The only two men she had ever loved, were both dead. She closed her eyes before tears could flow.

"I shall avenge you Tarse. I shall avenge you."

She lowered her head and said a Votainion prayer for the dead. After a long moment of silence, she stood up, collected herself and marched out of the room, never looking back.

Verrad and Testor exchanged looks of gratitude before Verrad took off after his Empress. Testor knelt before Tarse and made a solemn gesture with his upper hands before pulling the tarp over his friend's head.

***

Nykostra strode into the landing bay where Verrad's shuttle was parked. It looked out of place in the dilapidated bay, untouched by violence. Standing at the ramp was Veasa. She was holding a rug in her arms made by Benzotii artisans.

"My Empress, the Benzotii leaders wanted you to have this ceremonial rug to adorn your castle floors with. Woven into the design is the prophecy of, the savior of Benzot."

Nykostra accepted the rug and held it close to her chest.

"Thank you Veasa. I would not have been able to do anything on this world without your careful guidance."

Veasa nodded back.

"What will happen to you and the rest of the Resistance fighters now?"

"We will round up the remaining Kastra loyalists and transport them to Con-two. I don't expect we'll ever be allowed back into our families again, so we will probably occupy one of the many Benzotii bases located throughout this sector."

Nykostra looked down at her rug. "It will be hard for you to leave this world."

"Yes, but we leave it in far better hands than ours. There is great pride in that, my Empress."

Nykostra managed a weak smile as she turned to board her shuttle. Captain Verrad came up next and stoically nodded to the woman. She smiled back at him and turned to leave. Votainions didn't normally express emotions when leaving. A curt nod, a short word or two was sufficient.

As the shuttle rose above the capital city and passed over it. Verrad nodded out the porthole beside the Empress. She peered out and saw the crowds of Benzotii people all cheering for her from the city center. A fragile smile broke her lips that lasted until the shuttle banked over again and headed for orbit.

Nykostra unstrapped herself and strode onto the narrow flight deck of the shuttle.

"Take us to Kevern's warship," she said to the pilot. He looked at his copilot who simply shrugged as if to say who were they to disobey the Empress.

"Now."

"Yes, my Empress. Changing course," the pilot said. The copilot recalculated the course his hands moving across his instrument panel with urgency.

Nykostra grabbed the seat backs and held on tightly as the shuttle aligned on a trio of warships in the distance.

"Shuttle One requesting approach vector to
VCF Korten
," the pilot spoke into his mic.

There was silence as the request was routed to the bridge of the
Korten
. Nykostra stared ahead out the thick windows in the direction of the Kevern's warships. Her eyes were steady and emotionless.

"Shuttle One, cleared for approach."

The pilot looked surprised but entered in the coordinates and sped up to intercept without comment. Nykostra stayed in the cockpit, watching the approach.

Captain Verrad came up behind the Empress and asked to speak with her in private. Nykostra shook her head.

"Stay out of my way, Captain."

Verrad left without a word. Nykostra closed her eyes and reached out to the rapidly approaching warship. She sensed the presence of the Kwizarra Lonn, Lord Kasaga and Lord Kevern.
Perfect
.

The shuttle landed in the tight bay of the
VCF Korten
with little fanfare. Crewmen secured the ship as the bay doors closed and air was pumped in. Nykostra left the bridge and stood by the entrance as the soldiers opened the hatch and extended the ramp. She started down the ramp before it finished lowering. A single officer was there to great her with his arm extended over his chest.

She blasted past him and into the narrow gray corridor of the warship. Captain Verrad chased after the Empress throwing a quick salute to the deck officer as he passed.

Inside the corridor crewman hit the walls as the Empress passed. They probably didn't know who she was, but given that few women served on warships, she was obviously someone of importance. The smart ones remained at attention as Captain Verrad hurried past in pursuit of the woman in the strange robes.

Nykostra came to a stop at a six way intersection. She was lost and had no idea how to get to the bridge. Verrad caught up to her and pointed down to a ladder.

"That way to the bridge," he said.

She motioned for him to lead and then followed him down two decks to the main corridor that led to the bow. There were no lifts on a warship only ladders and staircases to move from deck to deck.

Nykostra set the pace as they marched along the length of the great warship towards the bridge. Verrad had fallen to her side and slightly behind her as required by military custom and courtesies. He wanted to ask her what she was planning but had better sense than that. Judging by her tight mouth and narrowed eyes he was prepared for the worse.

The bridge of a warship was not a very spacious place. There was enough room for a crew of nine bridge officers and a captain. When Verrad flung the hatch open for the Empress to enter all activity on the bridge seemed to stop at once.

The Captain stood near the entrance with three other people, Lord Kasaga, Lord Kevern and the Kwizarra Lonn. Captain Hess called the room to attention.

"Attention the bridge, Empress on deck."

It was just a formality, they were all standing in anticipation of her arrival.

"My Empress, to what do we owe the honor?" Captain Hess asked.

Nykostra eyed Lord Kevern. His hand moved to his falchion as he stepped clear of the captain for a better swing angle.

"Your ships will proceed to Voton where they will join Admiral Verrad's Combined Fleet."

Kevern nodded curtly but kept his eyes on the young woman dressed like a Benzotii. Then he realized that she had just promoted Verrad to Chief Architect. Kevern looked to Lord Kasaga for an answer. Kasaga's eyes were large, clearly this was news to him. Both men looked past the Empress to Verrad. Verrad's face was blank as a slate.

"My Empress, that's Lord Kasaga's fleet."

Nykostra erupted, "Don't question my orders!"

Her voice boomed off the walls and startled some of the younger crewmen. Nykostra took a step closer to Kevern causing him to step back and begin to draw his weapon.

"If you take that blade out, you had better be prepared to strike me down."

Nykostra's eyes began to glow and the sight caused Kevern to pause.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Nykostra screamed. Her voice an octave lower than before. She was using it to influence him, to get him to pull his sword all the way out.

"My Empress, what will this prove? You have ended the war with the Benzotii and now his warships are at your disposal," came the soothing voice of the Kwizarra Lonn.

Nykostra ignored him her own hands rested on the hilt of her falchion. Her thin fingers slowly wrapped around the hilt and the sheath.

"Draw your weapon coward. I'll gladly strike you down in the name of your son."

Lord Kevern's lower lip began to quiver in anger. His dark green eyes narrowed as he stared hard at Nykostra.
Don't do it. She will kill you.
The voice in Kevern's head was that of the Kwizarra Lonn.

Kevern looked to the elder Soothsayer who removed his hood and gazed upon him with supreme confidence. Kevern shoved his falchion back into it's sheath with a click.

Nykostra could sense the Kwizarra Lonn's attempt to enter her mind. But she blocked him easily. She forced herself into his mind and spoke a single word.
Death
.

The Kwizarra Lonn's eyes flashed wide but there was nothing he could do. Her move was swifter than the eye could register and deadly in its mark. She took a half step forward, pulled her falchion free and swung up at an angle so fast the Kwizarra Lonn's head did not move even as her blade sliced through his neck. A wash of blood began to stem from the wound. Nykostra swung her body forward and kicked the Kwizarra Lonn's torso over, toppling him. She landed atop the dead Soothsayer's body, as her falchion found purchase in the center of the former Chief Strategist's chest. Quickly she withdrew the weapon and backed away as he fell face forward to the deck. A look of surprise etched on his face.

Nykostra assumed her ready position, falchion out before her and legs shoulder length apart, right foot forward to present a smaller target. Lord Kevern slowly removed his hands from his blade and bowed at the waist.

"Lord Verrad is my new Chief Strategist. Your are now his second, Lord Kevern," Nykostra said. Her eyes were returning to their natural black color.

Lord Kevern saluted her with his right hand across his chest.

"Long live Empress Nykostra!" Kevern shouted. The crew behind him repeated the refrain. Everyone in the room bowed at the waist as Nykostra slowly wiped the blood from her blade and sheathed it.

"Captain clean your bridge and set a course for Voton," Nykostra said. The Captain saluted and said crisply, "Yes, my Empress."

Nykostra stepped over the dead bodies and headed out the way she had come. Lord Verrad eyed Lord Kevern harshly and then followed the Empress.

In the corridor heading back to the shuttle Verrad was silent, waiting for further orders. But the young Empress said nothing.

When they reached the bay she boarded the shuttle and took her seat. Verrad instructed the pilot to return to his warship, then came back to sit on the isle across from Nykostra. After they were en-route she spoke.

"I was unhappy with the way Lord Kasaga was prosecuting the war. I have complete confidence in you, Lord Verrad."

"Thank you, my Empress," Verrad said.

"Lord Kevern is living on borrowed time. When he fails to obtain his objectives I expect that you will inform me immediately. We need his ships or else I would have killed him too."

"Agreed, my Empress. But why the Kwizarra Lonn?"

She looked away out the porthole for a long moment.

"He killed my lover and he was scheming to kill me next."

She turned to face Verrad and he could see the pain in her eyes.

"The war with the Alliance is now my only focus. I will be on the front lines at all times. You and Kevern have all the resources of this Empire at your disposal. Get me Kerra-jorro."

Verrad straightened in his seat and met her eyes.

"We wont' let you down, my Empress."

She looked away back to the blackness of space. The pain in the back of her mind had returned and it was growing again. Not as intense or as quickly as when she was planet side. It had never gone away entirely, and she could sense that it might never leave her. It was a part of her now, for better or worse.

***

In the Imperial chamber on Voton, Nykostra strode purposefully up to the huge throne on which she had resided since she was nine. She removed the decorated pillow that had boosted her up all those years and tossed it to the stone floor. The attendants were frozen, unsure what to do with it.

“Take it away,” Nykostra boomed with her adult voice.

The pillow quickly disappeared as the Empress turned around to face her attendants and through hovering glass eyed proxies, her Empire. She had been gone for months and many were not entirely sure she would ever return, but return she had and with renewed authority. Clothed in her military uniform with her falchion at her waist, she commanded respect in ways the girl Empress had never managed to accomplish.

Custom required that a returning Empress reinstate her authority by taking her seat on the throne and issuing commandments. She sat down on the smooth wooden seat for the first time as an adult. It was harder than the pillow but the wood was warmer than she anticipated. As the recorder drones hovered at a respectful distance, she began to lay forth her new reforms. They were met with resistance from the elders who had lorded over her as a child, but she was no longer under their control. She was an adult now and her word was not to be questioned under penalty of death.

* * *

Nykostra finished her hand-to-hand fighting lesson with a long session of meditation. The fighting always brought her headache back and the only way to pacify it was with meditation.

She sat crossed leg on the Benzotii rug in her room while she meditated. After about twenty minutes of little movement she opened her eyes to survey the room. Standing just inside the door was her faithful handmaiden, Velore.

"Your bath is drawn, my Empress." Velore said.

Nykostra nodded and slowly got to her feet. Her exercise robes were still wet with perspiration. They were cold against her dry skin as she walked to the bathing room to take them off. In the shower she scrubbed herself clean and washed her short black hair. Her muscles ached from her combat training and the stresses of the day.

Velore stayed in the bedroom and turned down the Empress's bed. Since the Empress had returned they had hardly spoken to each other outside the bounds of duty.

Nykostra stepped into the warm bath and stretched out to soak all of her muscles. Steam rose from the water and filled her nostrils with the pleasant scent of wild flowers from the steppes. Her eyes closed as she thought about what to do with Velore. Should she take her with or would she be as out of place on a warship as herself? It might be useful to have someone she could trust on board. But warships were not built for females. They would be forced to stay together for safety. Nykostra was not concerned for her own safety but she could not protect the handmaiden from an aggressive male crew.