The Ruby Dice (30 page)

"You are the Emperor of Eube." Hidaka seemed puzzled by the question.

A cautious relief spread over Jaibriol. "Yes, that's right. I was checking the Lock to see if it had sustained damage related to the implosions."

"Yes, Sire."

"That is what you saw."

"Yes." Then Hidaka added, "I didn't see the emperor join the Triad."

Jaibriol felt the blood drain from his face. He stared at Hidaka, and the captain met his gaze steadily. In a voice more human than many Aristos, Hidaka said, "I would never see anything, Your Highness, that would bring harm to your reign." His gaze darkened. "Nor would I let anyone else."

Everything about Jaibriol's life as he had understood it these past ten years was tilting askew. "What have you told the station authorities?"

"That Colonel Muze tried to murder you."

Sweat broke out on Jaibriol's brow. "Has anyone tried to take you into custody?"

"No, Sire."

"An Aristo is dead, Hidaka." He strove to keep his voice even. "No one can kill a Highton with impunity."

"I was protecting you." The captain paused. "Security here does wish to question me. They also wish to ascertain you are alive."

"Why haven't they ascertained it yet?"

"We will let no one near you, Sire, until we are assured of your safety."

We? If more people than Hidaka were involved in this business, he could be in even more trouble than he thought. "Who is 'we'?"

"Myself and your other bodyguards."

"You have protected me well. I'm immensely grateful." He meant every word. At the moment, he was also terrified of the Razer, who had broken God only knew how many supposedly inviolable restraints on his actions. "I must speak now with the station authorities."

"I cannot risk your safety."

He wasn't certain if Hidaka was holding him prisoner or guarding him. The captain had been conditioned to protect Aristos.
Only
Aristos. Then he had seen the emperor revealed as a Ruby psion. He should have
helped
Muze make the capture. Jaibriol wouldn't wish anyone's death, but he was grateful Hidaka had intervened. Now, though, he had no idea what the captain intended for him.

"Is Robert here?" Jaibriol asked.

"He has been staying in his quarters."

"Is this his suite?"

Hidaka shook his head. "Mine, sir."

"Ah." Jaibriol spoke firmly. "I must speak with Robert."

Hidaka's gaze never wavered. "I cannot bring him, Sire."

Jaibriol thought he must be hearing wrong. Hidaka couldn't refuse, not if he acknowledged Jaibriol as emperor. Jaibriol lowered his barriers and probed Hidaka's mind, but he received only a metallic sense of thought.

"You must bring him," Jaibriol said.

"I cannot put you in danger."

Jaibriol rubbed his face, queasy and disoriented. "What are you going to do with me?"

"No harm will come to you." Incredibly, strain sounded in the captain's metallic voice. "I have sent a starship to the Qox Palace, summoning backup. When the rest of your Razers arrive, we will escort you to Glory."

"Because you trust the other Razers."

"Yes, Sire."

Jaibriol's hand clenched on the blanket. "Are you going to tell anyone what you saw in the Lock?"

Hidaka met his gaze. "I saw nothing except an attempt by Colonel Muze to murder you."

He didn't know whether to be relieved or afraid. Hidaka had the ultimate case for blackmail. "What do you expect in return?"

For a moment the Razer looked confused. Then comprehension washed over on his face. Jaibriol almost missed it; in the dimness, he could barely see the cybernaut's shadowed features.

Hidaka went down on one knee and bent his head. "I ask nothing in return, Your Highness, but that your reign be long and glorious. I serve you today, tomorrow, next year, and for as long as I live."

Jaibriol stared at him, astonished. When he had ascended to the throne, his Razers had disturbed him, for they had been more than half Aristo. He had gradually replaced them with these guards who couldn't transcend, but he never forgot that his secret police were conditioned to hold Aristos and their principles above all else, including the emperor's life, should it turn out he violated those principles by his very existence. Never in a thousand years would he have thought Hidaka would, or even could, choose loyalty over that conditioning.

When Jaibriol found his voice, he said, "Captain, I—Rise. Please, rise."

Hidaka rose to his feet, towering. Jaibriol looked up at him, aware of how vulnerable he would be if Hidaka ever decided to act against him. "I am grateful for your protection and your loyalty. I will never forget, Captain. But I must see Robert."

"He is called Robert Muzeson." Hidaka's voice was steel.

Then Jaibriol understood. Robert was related to the colonel. Distantly, but still, he had a kinship tie with Vatrix Muze.

Jaibriol spoke quietly. "I'll be safe with him. And you'll be here."

It was plain Hidaka wanted to object. Jaibriol would see now how far his bodyguard could go in holding him captive.

For a moment, Hidaka did nothing. He finally took a deep breath and bowed to Jaibriol, then crossed the room to the door. When he opened it, Jaibriol glimpsed his other guards outside. Hidaka spoke to them, four giants conferring, then closed and secured the door.

The Razor turned back to Jaibriol. "I have sent for Muzeson."

Jaibriol's grip on the blanket eased. If he was a prisoner, at least they didn't intend to completely isolate him.

Robert arrived within moments, and strode across the room. He looked as if he hadn't slept in ages. Dark rings showed under his eyes like smudges and his hair was a mess. Jaibriol could imagine him raking his hand through it as he argued with Hidaka.

When Robert reached the bed, he knelt and bowed his head. "My honor at your presence, Esteemed Highness." His voice shook.

"Robert, you don't need to do that." When his aide looked up, Jaibriol motioned to the chair by the nightstand. He congratulated himself that his arm only trembled a bit, for he felt as wobbly as a newborn pup. "Sit. Be comfortable. Tell me what's going on."

Robert sat in the chair, stiffly, on its edge, obviously anything but comfortable. "Are you all right, Sire? I've been so worried. They refused to let me near you."

"I'm all right. Hidaka didn't want to do anything until I woke up." That wasn't exactly true, but it would do. "How much has he told you?"

Robert's posture tensed more, though Jaibriol wouldn't have thought that possible. "He said Muze tried to kill you and destroyed the Lock instead. Hidaka managed to shoot him before he shot you."

Jaibriol could pick up more from Robert than with Hidaka, enough to know his aide believed the tale. "I'm grateful for Hidaka's quick action." More than grateful. Indebted for life.

Robert glowered at him. "It is my fervent wish, Most Glorious and Esteemed Highness, that you will remain glorious and esteemed by resisting the impulse the next time you feel inspired to dodge your bodyguards."

Jaibriol almost smiled. He didn't, knowing that if he softened, Robert would continue the lecture. He thought of Muze, and his humor faded. "The colonel's staff must be upset."

Robert answered dryly. "You've a gift for understatement."

"Have they demanded we turn Hidaka over to them?"

Robert gave him an odd look. "You are the emperor. They can't make demands against the captain of your guards, especially after Muze tried to kill you. They are treading with care. And Hidaka sent for backup before anyone knew what he was doing."

Jaibriol was beginning to reassess his fear of the guard. Maybe Hidaka had been the only one thinking straight. "Is the situation here that bad, that we need backup?"

"I'm not sure," Robert said. That he made such an admission relieved Jaibriol; the aides who served most Hightons would never risk such a statement, lest they bring down punishment on themselves. Jaibriol thought it was a stupid way to manage staff. In his experience, people did better work when they weren't afraid they would be skewered for problems beyond their control.

"The colonel's aides are terrified," Robert continued. "I suspect they are waiting to see who you want executed." After a moment, he added, "If you do."

Jaibriol stared at him. "Executions for
what
? Were they in a conspiracy with Muze?" He doubted it, given that Muze hadn't actually tried to assassinate him. But he would have asked the question if Hidaka's cover story were true. Besides, one never knew with Aristos. Their plots and counterplots bubbled everywhere like overactive carbonation.

"I haven't seen evidence of one," Robert said. "That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, of course."

"So they expect me to kill a few of them just to make sure."

"Yes, Sire."

It sounded to Jaibriol like a good way to decimate the station. He didn't intend to execute anyone. However, he needed to appear as if he were acting from a position of power rather than waiting to see if the station authorities would demand an investigation.

"I want Muze's people questioned." He glanced at Hidaka, who was standing back, a dark figure in the dim light. "Captain, you're in charge of the interviews. I want to know how far this conspiracy went." They both knew it went nowhere, but he had no doubt Hidaka could make it look as if he believed otherwise.

Jaibriol started to say more, but his vision blurred and the room swirled around him. Although Robert was saying something, Jaibriol couldn't concentrate. As he sagged to one side, Robert jumped up and reached to catch him. Suddenly Hidaka was there, his large hand covering Robert's shoulder, holding him back with that huge grip.

Robert froze, staring up—and up—at Hidaka. Moving with great care, the aide straightened, keeping his arms at his sides and his hands in plain view.

Jaibriol rubbed his eyes, trying to regain his equilibrium. "What did you say?" he asked Robert.

Robert spoke carefully. "You need a doctor."

Jaibriol shook his head, then stopped as his nausea roiled. He didn't dare see a doctor. He had no idea what a physician could tell about his condition. Did becoming a Key alter him in a measurable way? He didn't feel any three-way Triad link, but he was too shaken to think straight. Power roared within him like an ocean, but it was all muddled and confused. He dreaded what it could mean. His uncle had killed his great-grandfather by joining the powerlink. Their minds had been too alike; it couldn't support them both. Jaibriol prayed he hadn't harmed his kin, the Ruby Pharaoh or the Imperator.

With a sigh, he collapsed onto the bed. He was aware of Hidaka pulling the covers over him. Then he passed out.

DARKNESS.

INJURY.

DEATH.

Kelric?

The name reverberated in the darkness.

Dehya? he thought.

I am here.

They existed in blackness. The Lock Chamber on the Orbiter had vanished the moment they stepped into the singularity. But where normally light inundated Kyle space, now only the dark surrounded them.

Kelric poured out his power. Dehya added her nuance—

Kyle space burst into existence, a radiant blue ocean under a sky roiling with dark clouds. Kelric swelled in a giant wave, a tsunami that could drown a person by breaking on the shores of their mind. Dehya existed everywhere as texture, detail, color, the
essence
of this space. Had Kelric had a body here, his breath would have caught. He had never seen the Kyle in such vivid beauty. When he was by himself, he experienced it only as a sense of light.

It's incredible, he thought.

I've never seen it so strongly,
Dehya thought.

Or vast. In the far distance he saw blackness.

That's not a landmass,
Dehya thought.
It's just gone.

He swept through the ocean toward the empty place. As he neared the dark shoals, he arose in a tidal wave. His power roared into the darkness—

Into nothing—

Nothing—

Destruction—

Death—

Come back!
Dehya's shout reverberated.

With a wrench, he pulled out of the void. The sea and skyscape reformed, but now they wavered and rippled.

Home, he thought.

Kelric became aware of his body. He was sitting at the console in the chamber again. Dehya stood on the other side of the octagonal room, partially hidden by the singularity. The light washed out his vision; he could barely make her out.

For a while he sat, unfocused. Eventually he realized Dehya was walking toward him. Each of her steps lasted a long time. Her mouth moved, but it took endless time for her to form one word. It vibrated in his mind, distant, long, drawn out.

Goooooooo . . .

Her slowed-time walk mesmerized him. How many hours would she need to cross the chamber? How long to say one sentence?

Dooooown . . .
she thought.

Go down . . . ? He was comfortable on his stool. He could sit here forever.

Avennnnuuuuuue. . .

She had taken three steps, and the singularity no longer hid her from view. Her body was ephemeral, translucent, caught in transition from the Kyle.

Of Aaaages . . .

Go down the Avenue of Ages. She wanted him to leave the chamber. Urgency touched her voice despite her languid approach.

He slowly stood, rising to his full height, the floor receding below him. Dehya was partway into her fourth step. He turned toward the entrance. The corridor should stretch from that opening back to the Orbiter, but he could see nothing beyond the arch. He stepped toward it, and the thud of his boot reverberated as if he were some massive giant out of Lyshrioli mythology. He stepped again, but the entrance came no closer. Again. The opening was only four paces away, yet it seemed unreachable.

Huuurrrryyy . . .

Step.

Step again.

The archway was out of reach.

Reach . . .

Reach out . . .

Reach out his arm . . .

His hand closed on the edge of the arch.

Pull . . .

Pull body . . .