The Thirteenth Man (24 page)

Charlie's thoughts raced furiously. “I don't know what you expect of me, but I can't intervene, Lady Carristan. If I were to aid you, assist you, or advise you in any way that helped Delilah run away, I'd lose the immunity that comes with the ducal seat. And then I too would face the king's wrath.”

She lowered her head tiredly and closed her eyes. “I don't know what to do.”

“As I said, if I were to advise you inappropriately and you were put to the truth . . .” He was thinking of a deep neural probe, with which they could extract the exact wording of this conversation. “ . . . both of us could come to great harm. Out of desperation you may be tempted to seek out certain disreputable characters for assistance, and that would be a terrible mistake. Certainly, you should stay away from the trampsies. You shouldn't seek out a trampsie merchantman named
Goldisbest
, which is, I believe, presently in-­system.”

Her eyes opened and her head lifted. She looked at him sharply and smiled.

They couldn't put Charlie under deep neural probe, not without clearly damning evidence. On the other hand, Carristan possessed no such immunity. But a neural probe was notoriously explicit, would reveal the exact phrasing of their conversation but not its intent. “And stay away from its captain, a decidedly nefarious character named Nano Neverlose, who can be reached through one of Rierma's retainers, a fellow named Stan Fourhands. He and his crew are disreputable sorts, suspected of smuggling and gunrunning. They'd probably do anything for the right price, so you should definitely not seek passage on
Goldisbest
. And Delilah shouldn't seek refuge with Lady Ethallan of Aagerbanne, who is in hiding as a result of the annexation.”

She nodded. “We'll be careful not to do those things, Your Grace. Thank you for your sage advice. Your loyalty to the crown is most admirable.”

C
harlie returned to Stan Fourhands, pulled him aside, and spoke softly. “I need to speak with Nano right away. And if Her Royal Highness or the Lady Carristan approaches you, be sure to connect her with Nano. But don't tell Sally or Rierma or any of his staff. Rierma mustn't be involved in this, either directly or through Sally.”

Stan reverted to his street accent and whispered, “Frankie, what's going on?”

“You'll know soon enough. And afterward you'll have to disappear. If they put you to the truth, they'll hang you. That's why Sally and Rierma can't know anything.”

Stan spoke briefly to Rierma, made his excuses and left the ballroom.

“Little brother.”

Charlie turned to find Add standing at his elbow. “Ell and I have someone we'd like you to meet.”

“Now?” he asked. “I'm kind of busy.”

“Now,” she said. “It is very important.”

The breed wasn't one to exaggerate. “All right, lead on.”

He followed her out of the ballroom into a part of the palace reserved for diplomats and other foreign dignitaries. Add stopped at a particular door and knocked on it softly. Ell answered, saw Add and Charlie, nodded, and swung the door wide. Charlie preceded Add into a room filled with Kinathins, all standing and apparently waiting for him. He heard the door shut behind him with a loud clump.

There were Kinathins of every size and age, both male and female, though they were all tall, lean, and muscular, traits engineered into them purposefully. Charlie looked at Add and Ell and raised a questioning eyebrow. They both shrugged.

An older Kinathin woman stepped forward from the group. The Kinathins had been engineered with a high immunity to the effects of aging, at least until the last decade or two of their lives, and at that point they aged rapidly. The fact that Charlie could see crow's feet at the corners of her eyes meant she was quite old. She wore a military uniform with the emblems and livery of Harrimo's personal guard. In fact, the personal guards of several of the Ten were represented, though none from Karlok, Nadama, or Theode (who had replaced Add and Ell with mercenaries).

The older woman's right hand rested casually against her thigh. Her fingers twitched almost imperceptibly, in such a way that one would not notice it if one didn't know what to look for. She signaled to Add and Ell in breed handspeak,
Is he armed?

Charlie didn't wait for them to answer, and made no effort to conceal his own use of handspeak. He signaled,
Of course I am.
Then he said in breed-­tongue, “I'm not stupid, woman. Was I brought here for a purpose?”

The woman's eyes narrowed, which for a Kinathin was an extreme show of emotion. She spoke in standard. “Your Grace, you need not fear any harm.”

Charlie smiled and softened his tone. “I know that. I have Add and Ell with me.” The twins grinned.

The woman nodded a polite bow to Charlie. “Your Grace, we seem to have gotten off to a bad start. Let me apologize for assuming you were ignorant of our customs. I am Sal'mar'Reyhanna.”

As a Kinathin grew and gained recognition for feats of bravery or ser­vice or something that Charlie wasn't quite clear on, they added syllables to the last part of their name, which meant the woman before Charlie held some highly elevated rank in the Kinathin class structure. But more importantly, Charlie recognized the middle part of the name. “I'm honored to meet an elder of Add and Ell's family. I value their friendship most highly.”

She glanced at the others behind her. “Forgive me, but it would be best if we didn't formalize introductions for all here.”

“I'm not sure I understand,” Charlie said. “But I take no insult.”

“Thank you, Your Grace. May I ask you one question?”

Charlie looked at Add and Ell, both of whom seemed intent on avoiding his eyes. “You may ask. I may not answer.”

She smiled at that and nodded toward Add and Ell. “Why did you free them? You owned them. They'd have served you every bit as well without their freedom, and once freed they might have chosen not to serve you at all.”

Charlie had to think carefully about that. He'd done it on impulse, and decided to be honest with Sal'mar'Reyhanna. “I didn't think it through at the time, so to be honest I can only guess at my motives. I think I did it because I grew up with them, was almost raised by them. They're my older sisters, you see, and I couldn't stand the thought of owning them. I guess if I truly think about it, I don't really like the thought of anyone owning someone. I've worn chains—­real ones—­but I can imagine what invisible ones feel like. If they were going to stay with me I wanted it to be because they wanted to.”

Add threw in, “We stayed because you still need training, little brother. And I suspect it'll be a lifelong task.”

Sal'mar'Reyhanna smiled. “Brother and sisters, eh?” She considered that for a long moment. “And you say you don't like the thought of anyone being owned?”

“Again, to be completely honest, I've had other important things on my mind lately. But if I'm forced to think about it, no, I don't like anyone being owned.”

Again, she considered him for a long moment, then seemed to come to some sort of decision. “There is one other here whom you should meet.”

She turned, looked behind her and an older Kinathin male stepped forward. “Your Grace,” she said formally, “Charles, Duke de Lunis, may I present Sid'nah'sanAfan, ambassador and representative of the free system of Kinatha?”

Charlie was rather proud of the fact that he didn't start or flinch. “I must confess,” he said, “that while I'm aware of the rumors—­most of which are contradictory—­I'm rather ignorant of the free system of Kinatha.”

Sid'nah'sanAfan smiled a bit sheepishly. “We do try to keep a low profile, Your Grace. Tell me, are you aware of the custom of Abolition?”

“I am,” Charlie said, choosing his words carefully. “After decades of loyal ser­vice it is not uncommon for a liege lord to free a Kinathin, give them a pension, and allow them to live out their lives in peace and comfort. I've always found it interesting that we've all heard so little about where they live out their lives. ”

Sal'mar'Reyhanna said, “Your Grace, perhaps we should confine this conversation to a smaller group.”

Charlie shrugged and said, “Certainly.”

Sal'mar'Reyhanna ushered the rest of the Kinathins out of the room, though Add and Ell hesitated, looking to Charlie for their cue. He raised an eyebrow in a question, and Add answered, “You're safe with them, little brother. Or rather, if you're not . . .” She looked pointedly at Sal'mar'Reyhanna. “ . . . we'll hunt them all down and seek revenge.”

Charlie nodded his assent and Add and Ell left, leaving Charlie alone with Sal'mar'Reyhanna and Sid'nah'sanAfan. Sal'mar'Reyhanna beckoned them to comfortable chairs and poured drinks for them. Sipping at his drink, Charlie asked, “Perhaps you could dispel some of my ignorance?”

Sid'nah'sanAfan gave him a diplomat's smile, and said, “A little over two hundred years ago a large group of freed Kinathins pooled their resources and colonized an unclaimed planet on the fringes of explored space. Its first inhabitants were mostly old pensioners, but as the centuries passed the population diversified in age, though it remained exclusively Kinathin and relatively isolated. Kinatha has considerable natural resources, boasts a healthy population, and a strong agricultural and industrial base.”

“And why all the rumors?” Charlie asked. “Why have we heard so little of the reality of Kinatha?”

“During our developmental years we thought it wise to distance ourselves from the politics of our far-­flung neighbors. But in recent years we've begun establishing diplomatic relations with nearby governments, initially with the independent states since they'd outlawed slavery long ago. Our approach to the Realm was more . . . cautious. At this time the Realm is the only state in which ownership of Kinathins is endemic and systematic. But last year we approached your king in the hope of establishing diplomatic relations. Lucius's initial reaction was to send a flotilla of five warships to impose his will on us breeds.”

Charlie grimaced. “Not what you expected, eh?”

“On the contrary, Lucius's reaction was one of many we'd anticipated.” He glanced at Sal'mar'Reyhanna. “We've been well advised by our colleagues here, and are aware of his proclivities. It was we who were not what Lucius expected. We are, after all, engineered to be warriors.”

Sid'nah'sanAfan grinned. “The entire Kinathin system is heavily defended, and we met his force with more than thirty capital ships. The commander of Lucius's flotilla wisely recognized that force was not an option. Not a shot was fired, and to this day we all pretend that the flotilla was merely a diplomatic escort.”

Charlie considered the two Kinathins carefully and asked, “Why are we having this conversation?”

Sid'nah'sanAfan and Sal'mar'Reyhanna exchanged glances, and apparently decided in some unspoken way that Sal'mar'Reyhanna would speak for them. “Your twins thought we should speak with you, and in response to our inquiries, Lady Ethallan said you are a man we can trust.”

“Then you're supporting the Free Aagerbanni Resistance?”

Sid'nah'sanAfan did not quickly deny it and considered his words carefully. “We cannot . . . openly . . . support such a struggle.”

Charlie didn't miss the careful choice of wording. “Just as I cannot . . . openly . . . support such a struggle.”

Sid'nah'sanAfan gave Charlie an appraising look. “Exactly, Your Grace. I'm glad you understand our position.”

“But again, I must ask why you've sought me out.”

“We seek allies, Your Grace. It's unlikely we'll ever count Lucius as an ally, mostly because of his limitations. But, like us, you are a warrior at heart, and you don't like slavery. And, with the exception of Goutain's interference, it's the Ten who truly rule this Realm. It's simple, Your Grace. We seek allies, and we seek an end to Kinathin slavery everywhere.”

“I can support an end to Kinathin slavery,” Charlie said. “I can support that quite openly.”

Both Kinathins shared another look and smiled.

C
harlie left Turnlee aboard
The Thirteenth Man
. Ten light-­years out, well outside the range of transition detection, they rendezvoused with
The Headsman
. Charlie transferred over to the warship and
The Thirteenth Man
continued on to Luna, while
The Headsman
proceeded to another destination. One day and ten light-­years farther on they down-­transited one light-­year away from a specific set of coordinates in deep space, far from any solar system. Six large warships awaited them.

Darmczek said, “We're getting a signal and feeding it to your console now.”

Charlie, seated at his usual place on
The Headsman
's bridge, switched on the visual distortion field of the Edwin Chevard persona. The screen in front of him lit up with the image of a naval captain in de Vena livery: dark hair, salt-­and-­pepper gray on the sides, distinguished appearance—­senior navy all the way. Charlie switched on the visual feed from his own console and they both stared at each other for a moment.

“I'm Captain Thessa,” the man said, “commanding
Stella's Pride
. And you are?”

“Edwin Chevard,” Charlie said. “Pleased to meet you, Captain Thessa. Is Her Grace present?”

“She is, Mr. Chevard. One moment please.”

Charlie's screen went blank, then lit up again with Telka's image. “Mr. Chevard, I presume.”

“Your Grace, I wasn't sure you'd be here.”

“Mr. Chevard, you're an intriguing man with an intriguing message, and so cryptic. And the fact that you could have it delivered to me in the Almsburg Palace piques my curiosity to no end.”