Too Close to the Sun (The Sun 1) (42 page)

“You’ll need your strength today,” she reminded.

“Okay.” A table sat in the middle of the kitchen and he started around it, about to take a spot on the far side when she stopped him.

“No, no. Sit here.” Sorrah laid a plate on the side closest to her. It seemed curious to him, but before he could ask, Sorrah was already explaining. “It’s just easier to be able to turn around and hand you the food, that’s all.”

Nicoli took the seat she indicated and she began to fill his plate with eggs and meats. She placed a bowl of fruit in front of him. “Would you like some wineberry juice or coffee?”

“Coffee, thanks.”

Nicoli ate a forkful of eggs and was glad he’d opted to eat. As he ate, he noticed Sorrah’s reflection in the side of the fruit bowl. He saw her take a mug from the cabinet and then glance over her shoulder at him. Something about the way she moved made him suspicious, so he pretended to be absorbed in his food, all the while keeping an eye on her movements through her reflection. She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small vial. Then her hands disappeared in front of her. But Nicoli had no doubt that she had just slipped something into his drink.

She turned and set the drink on the table. “If it’s not warm enough, I can heat it.”

“I’m sure it will be fine.” He pushed away from the table and stood up. “I’ll take it with me.”

He left the kitchen, mug in hand and made straight for Yanur’s room. He knocked on the door, then pushed it open, not waiting for Yanur’s invitation.

“Yanur, are you – oh, I’m sorry. Please excuse me.” Suppressing a smile, Nicoli quickly backed out the room and shut the door. Yanur and Katrina looked as if they had spent the night much in the same way he and Angel had, only apparently they had slept longer.

Scuffling noises came from within the room and then a few minutes later, a sheepish looking Yanur opened the door.

“You can come in now.”

Nicoli walked in and found Katrina standing on the far side of the bed, dressed but with an embarrassed flush staining her cheeks. She’d made an attempt to comb her hair, which was more than he could say for Yanur, who looked like he’d never seen a brush in his life.

“I’m sorry, Katrina. I didn’t mean to barge in.” Nicoli was at a loss for the right words. In all the years he’d been with Yanur, he couldn’t ever remember catching his friend in bed with a woman. That this particular woman happened to be his mother-in-law, made the situation that much more uncomfortable. “I, uh, I didn’t know.” He let his words trail off.

Katrina seemed to relax when she saw how flustered he was. “It’s all right, Colonel.”

“Nicoli, please. Or Alex. Yanur always calls me Alex.”

“Alex, then.” She smiled when she said it and walked over to stand by Yanur, who took her hand in his and held it.

“I didn’t mean to sleep so long, Alex,” Yanur said, then looked at the mug in Nicoli’s hand. “Is that for me?”

“No.” Nicoli walked over to the potted plant in the corner and emptied the contents into the dirt. “It’s been doctored, with what exactly, I don’t know. I didn’t care to find out.”

“You two probably have things you need to discuss,” Katrina said. “I should be going.”

Almost shyly, she kissed Yanur and started for the door. She stopped when she came even with Nicoli, placing her hand lightly on his arm. “I wish there was something I could say to convince you not to fight, but I know I can’t. It is a matter of honor for you, and I understand that. I want you to know how much I appreciate your taking care of my daughter, and bringing her back to me. I couldn’t have asked for a better son-in-law and I’m so glad you’re a part of my family.”

She raised herself on tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek and when she pulled away, Nicoli saw her eyes glisten with unshed tears. Something strange and mysterious clutched at his heart like an iron band.

He heard her sigh deeply before giving him a smile. “Please be careful this afternoon. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll see if I can sneak in and out of my room before that horrid woman finds me and insists on giving me one of her massages.” She turned her head to give Yanur a parting smile and then walked out of the room.

“Horrid woman?” Nicoli asked, perplexed.

“Sorrah.” Yanur said as if that were explanation enough.

“Interesting.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. Sorrah’s the one who doctored my drink, not fifteen minutes ago.”

“Didn’t you say you thought she and Victor were close? This is his doing, I’m sure.”

Nicoli smiled. “Won’t he be surprised when he discovers his little ploy didn’t work?”

“Should we do something about Sorrah?”

“No. If we do, Victor will know he didn’t succeed and he’ll try something else. We’re better off this way.”

Yanur looked down, suddenly too interested in his feet or the floor. “There is another option.”

With a sense of déjà vu, Nicoli shook his head. “I will not forfeit the fight.”

Yanur heaved a heavy sigh. “I know.”

“I wanted to ask you a favor.”

Yanur’s eyebrow shot up. “Of course, anything.”

Nicoli took his time, not exactly sure how to ask. “Should something go wrong this afternoon and I don’t make it, will you take Angel away from here? I need to know she’ll be safe if I’m not around to protect her.”

Yanur stared at him, as if seeing him for the first time.

“Will you do that for me?” Nicoli pressed.

“Of course, Alex. You know I will.” Yanur crossed the room to stand in front of him. “Did I ever tell you how proud I am of you? Because I am, you know.”

Nicoli gave a half-hearted smile. “Thanks. You’ve always been there for me. You’ve been both a father and a friend. I appreciate it.”

“You’ve been a good son, Alex.”

The two men exchanged awkward hugs before Nicoli walked out, leaving Yanur to stare at the door, a puzzled expression on his face. Over the years, he’d watched Alex face death many times, but never before had Alex seemed so worried over the possibility of his own death.

Preoccupied by these thoughts, Yanur retrieved his black bag and left his room.

Chapter 28

“Care for some company?”

Angel skipped another small stone across the lake before looking up. “Do you remember when we used to come here as kids? I used to get so frustrated because I could never make my stones skip as far as yours.”

Rianol smiled. “I see you’ve been practicing.”

Angel managed a small smile. “Anytime I found myself near a lake, I always skipped a few stones across it. Over the years, it just sort of developed into a habit. Now it helps me think.”

“Is that why you came here? To think?”

“Partly.” She let her fingers brush against the grass along the bank where she sat. “And to get away for a while.”

“Would you like for me to leave?” He offered.

“No, actually I think I’d like the company.” She patted the ground beside her in invitation for him to sit.

Rianol gave the ground a speculative look. “Maybe we could take a walk instead?”

Angel smiled. “What? Now you don't like dirt? I remember getting in trouble after coming home covered in mud because
you
said it would be more fun if we slid down the muddy side of the bank into the water.” She studied him to see if her mild teasing had the desired effect. He still looked determined to walk. “You’re sure you don’t want to sit and toss stones?”

“I’m sure.” He stretched out his hand to help her up.

“Thanks.” She brushed off her clothes and then together, they began to stroll along the path circling the lake.

“I would have thought you’d be with your husband.”

Angel felt the same stab of disappointment she had felt when she awakened earlier to find Nicoli gone. “He’s off preparing for the fight. I...I didn’t want to get in his way.” She still wondered if he’d heard her confession last night, if that had anything to do with why he sneaked out. “But I also couldn’t sit around in the room and watch the clock until noon, so I came here.”

She turned to study him. Buried beneath the man’s face, she saw traces of the boy he once was. Today, his face appeared more gaunt than usual.

“How are you doing?”

He looked surprised that she would ask. “Me?”

“Yeah. This can’t be easy. After all, Victor’s your friend.”

“Well, um, yes. I’ve known Victor a long time.” He looked at her with uncertainty. “I have a great deal of respect for Colonel Romanof as well. This whole thing,” he waved his hand in the air. “It’s unfortunate.”

“Today, one of us is going to lose someone very close. It’s more than unfortunate. It’s asinine.” She let her breath out in a sigh of resignation. “And I don’t know how to stop it.”

“The Colonel doesn’t strike me as the kind to forfeit a fight.”

“No, you’re right. He’s not. What about Victor? Do you think if I went to him, he’d call it off?” She knew he wouldn’t, not if he were the Harvester leader as she suspected, but she wanted to hear Rianol’s thoughts.

Rianol shook his head. “No. Even if Victor decided to forfeit, there’d always be someone else. The High Counsel, for as long as he continues to live, will see to it that Colonel Romanof meets with a continual string of challengers. No matter how good he is, he can’t beat them all. Sooner or later, one of them will win and you’ll find yourself with a new husband – and no say in the matter.”

Angel shuddered and gave a shaky laugh. “Are you trying to cheer me up, because if you are, I want to tell you – you suck at it.”

Rianol stared at her in shock, then burst out laughing. “You are full of surprises. Life with you would never be dull, that’s for sure.” He took her hand in his and pulled her to a stop so he could face her. “The Colonel is a lucky man.”

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“Listen, the fight will start soon. I spoke to the High Counsel and he agreed to bend the rules and allow you and Mr. Snellen to be present during the fight. But An’jel, you cannot interfere. If you do, you’ll be thrown out. That was the best I could do.”

The rules stated that only the High Counsel, the members of the Quorum and the fighters could be present. She had been dreading the long wait to hear the results of the fight. She wasn’t sure now whether she could handle watching it, but she’d rather be there with Nicoli in some capacity, than sitting around waiting. She threw her arms around Rianol and hugged him. “Thank you.”

Rianol hesitated before awkwardly hugging her back. She wondered why he'd never married. Growing up, she'd thought if she had to marry someone, she'd wanted it to be Rianol because he never treated her as anything less than an equal.

"Thank you for distracting me," she told him sincerely.

“I just want you to know that I’m here for you, if you need anything,” he whispered in her ear.

* * * * *

At high noon, the chimes from the large clock sounded, resonating off the walls of the High Counsel’s chamber and marking the commencement of
The Challenge
. Emptied of all furniture, the large rug on the floor had been removed to reveal blood red tiles set among the darker ones, forming a large circle. Within this circle, Victor and Nicoli stood, facing one another. The High Counsel and members of the Quorum lined the back wall while Yanur, Angel and Katrina stood together off to the side. Across the room, Rianol stood alone.

Victor and Nicoli wore form-hugging black pants. Neither shirts nor shoes were allowed, to avoid the possibility of concealed weapons. If the situation weren’t so grave, Angel might have enjoyed the high level of testosterone on display. The scene was reminiscent of the slave auction back on the Harvesters’ planet.

She and Nicoli had not talked prior to the fight. He had seemed preoccupied, with good reason, and she’d been loath to break his concentration with something as trivial as her feelings. When they had arrived at the chamber, he’d nodded to Yanur and given her a kiss. With a whispered “this won’t take long” and a wink, he’d walked confidently into the ring to meet Victor.

Angel’s over-strung nerves virtually buzzed with tension when the High Counsel stepped into the ring. “This fight is for the title of Counsel-elect and for the Right of Claim for my granddaughter, An’jel ToRrenc. Once the fight begins, it will not end until one of the contestants lies dead. Does either party wish to forfeit?”

Both Victor and Nicoli shook their heads.