Wrath of Axia (The Arcadian Jihad) (5 page)

Blas ignored the taunt. “We’ll be careful to avoid any rock throwers or wall painters.”

The man glared at them as they walked away.

“I thought Max said to stay out of trouble,” Evelyn smiled.

“Those lazy bastards, they should be out doing something useful, not hassling civilians in Peria. It’s still a non-militarized city, as I recall.”

“You’re right, but save it for another time. Let’s just relax and enjoy ourselves.”

They wandered through the streets. It was strange, for once they had been teeming with people, yet they were now deserted.

“What would you like to see first?” he asked Evelyn.

“Do you remember the temple?”

“Of course I do.”

That particular temple was made of the peculiar local stone, threaded with semi-phosphorescent impurities that gave off a natural light inside. At that time, it had been re-dedicated to the Prophet Axia. A monstrous stone effigy of the God Ahura had stood outside. He remembered going inside and looking at the high altar and the ritual baths. He also saw Evelyn, saw her face for the first time. At that time she was the First Lady of the Nine Systems and escorted by her handmaiden, Nightingale. He remembered it as if it was only yesterday. How could he ever forget where they’d first met?

“What happened to Nightingale? Did she return to Orphex?”

“No, she became a diplomat, and now she works for the Foreign Service. She is at present the accredited Axis Nova diplomatic representative for Planet Cadmus.”

“She did well for herself. Tell me, why do you think they allowed the capital planet of the Nine Systems to keep the name Axis Nova? That was the enemy’s name. The proper name is Arcadia I.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Aren’t we all supposed to be allies now?”

“The Bose brothers aren’t.”

“No, they are not.”

They reached the temple. It was undamaged, shimmering in the ghostly sunlight of the planet. But they both stared open-mouthed. The huge statue of the God Ahura stood outside. It meant that the temple was once again dedicated to the God of the Axians. The Axian surrender agreement had been quite firm. All stolen temples had to be returned to their owners. There were to be no exceptions. If the Axians wanted temples, that was fine. They could build their own. Seeing the statue was the clearest sign yet of the Axian supremacy.

Evelyn gasped. “They’ve broken the agreement!”

“They’ve done more than that. They seem to have torn up the agreement completely.”

She was shaking her head. “It’s almost impossible. The city of Peria is a vital part of people’s religious beliefs throughout the universe. This temple is the very heart of the Nine Systems. This sacrilege.”

They continued to stare at the awful symbol of the tyranny they’d fought against. A voice startled them.

“You! What do you think you’re doing here?”

A Security Bureau patrol had appeared. The same sergeant who’d accosted them at the checkpoint was at its head.

“What business is it of yours?” Blas demanded angrily. “This is a religious site, and any citizen is entitled to come and visit the temple, without being questioned by the military.”

“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” he snarled. “You’d better have a good explanation of why you’re here, or I’ll be forced to arrest you on suspicion of being terrorists.”

So much for the power of a pretty dress! Blas saw Evelyn’s expression change and he gripped her hand. He’d had enough of these petty, spiteful bullies. They were just cowards in uniform, and it was time to resolve this without recourse to her mental powers.

“Sergeant, after the surrender these temples were supposed to be re-dedicated to their old Gods. Why wasn’t this one changed back to the way it was?”

“So you’re criticizing our shrine, are you? That’s treason.” The sergeant’s sneer broadened.

“I only asked you a simple question,” Blas persisted. “That’s not treason.”

“I’ve had enough of your nonsense. I’m putting you both under arrest.”

“What’s the charge?”

He laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of one. Take them away.”

A trooper handcuffed them both, and the steel bracelets bit hard into Blas’ wrists. He looked at his partner.

“Are you ok? Did they put them on too tight?”

She smiled. “No, I’m fine, don’t worry.”

The soldiers marched them to a guard post in the center of the city and locked them both into a single cell.

“You’re out of luck, you two,” the sergeant grinned. “The Commander is due to visit soon, so he can decide what to do with you both. Maybe you’ll end up on a burlash plantation. He’s always looking for new workers.”

“The Commander, you mean Admiral Rusal?”

“Rusal? What are you talking about? Rusal doesn’t tell us what to do. He’s a navy man. I mean Pieter Bose. He commands the Security Bureau on Hesperia, and you’ll meet him soon enough.”

They didn’t have to wait long. After an hour the outer door opened and a short, uniformed officer came to look at them through the bars of the cell.

“My name is Pieter Bose, and I am in command here. The sergeant tells me you have been spying. Tell me who you work for. Are you with the resistance?”

He was no more than a pipsqueak, slightly over five feet tall with his blonde hair long and styled in the latest fashion. Probably in a vain attempt to give him status, all it achieved was to make him look like a petulant child. His face was pale, with watery blue eyes, but his uniform was cut from the very finest materials, although it wasn’t enough to hide his growing paunch.

“We’re not spies,” Blas replied, doing his best to control his anger. “Your sergeant knows that. We’re tourists and we were invited here for a holiday. We were just looking at the temple, nothing more. It is very famous.”

“Who invited you to Hesperia?”

“Your boss, Admiral Quentin Rusal.”

“Rusal! That old fart, he wouldn’t know a traitor if one came banging on his door. He’s useless, I don’t even think…”

“Tenshun! Admiral on deck!”

The sergeant barked the order out loud to save his boss any more embarrassment. Rusal walked in through the door, followed by his adjutant, a captain. Rusal looked around the cell, and his gaze wasn’t friendly.

“What’s going on here, Bose?”

“Two suspected spies, Sir. The sergeant arrested them and I was about to ask some questions. But Admiral, this is Security Bureau business, nothing for you to concern yourself with.”

“On Hesperia, Bose, I command everything military. Everything that happens is my business.” He whirled on the sergeant. “What were these people doing? What was it that made you suspect they were spies?”

“Well, er, they, er…”

“Speak up, man. What were these people doing that made you suspicious?”

“They were looking at the temple.”

“Yes, of course they were. It’s very famous. But what activity made you suspicious?”

“That’s what they were doing, Admiral, looking at the temple.”

He turned and stared at Pieter Bose. “What kind of fools do you employ in the Security Bureau, Bose?”

Pieter snarled at the sergeant. “Release these people, you idiot. You’d better make sure it doesn’t happen again, unless you want to work on my burlash plantations.”

“Right away, Sir. Sorry, Sir.”

He unlocked the cell door. Evelyn came out and gave Rusal a kiss on the cheek. Blas shook hands.

“We’re glad you were here to sort this mess out. Thank you, Admiral.”

Rusal nodded and glared at Bose. “I think you should be attending to your troops, Pieter. They obviously need further training. I would suggest a five-mile run in full kit for the sergeant and his men. They look out of shape to me.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea, Admiral.”

“And when they get back, reduce that Sergeant to the ranks. He’s not fit to command other men.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

They smiled as they watched Pieter work to control his temper, and he quickly left the building. A few minutes later Blas and Evelyn walked outside into the sunshine with Rusal. He turned to them.

“Perhaps you would join me for lunch before I return to Tulum. There is a decent restaurant quite close and I could use some good food and sensible conversation.”

They agreed and found the restaurant where they were the only diners. After the drinks arrived and they’d ordered their food, they sat in silence. Everything in this once beautiful city was wrong, terribly wrong. Blas had rarely seen Evelyn look so fearful and anxious. Finally, he couldn’t stand it any more.

“What’s up, my darling? Is something wrong?” He noticed that Rusal was watching intently.

“You know that I have the power to look into men’s minds.”

“Yes, of course I do, we all know that,” Blas replied. Rusal nodded. She was an Orphexian, so it was natural for them.

“Sometimes I catch a fragment of thought that is difficult to interpret. Perhaps it is only a few words a person has heard from someone else and failed to understand, nothing more than that. When I put enough of these random thoughts together they start to form a whole. It is not always accurate, but it is a useful way to understand what groups of people know about a single event. The idea that I am forming now is crazy, and you’ll laugh if I tell you. The last piece of the puzzle just fell into place when I was looking into Pieter’s mind.” She smiled, embarrassed. “I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I thought it was important, so many bad things are going on here.”

“Tell us, what is it?”

She hesitated for a few moments. “It’s the President, Xerxes Tell. I don’t think he’s dead.”

“Xerxes Tell?” They spoke the name in unison. “He died on Axis Nova, just before the inauguration,” Blas blurted out. “Everyone knows that.”

She hesitated again. “I don’t believe he died.”

They were both silent. It was a crazy statement to make, and they both looked around to see if anyone was near and could overhear what she’d said. That really would be treason. But the adjoining tables were empty. Rusal gave her a piercing glance. “You’d better explain yourself, Evelyn. Everyone knows he died of a heart attack, right before the swearing in ceremony.”

She wrung her hands. She was upset, that much was obvious.

“I know that he died,” she said in a voice that was very troubled. “I even saw the broadcasts when it was caught on film. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think the man who died was Xerxes Tell. It must have been a lookalike. I don’t know the reason why, believe me, but it wasn’t Tell.”

They stared at her, at first too astonished to speak. A thought occurred to Blas.

“What has Pieter Bose to do with it?”

“He must have been part of it, him and his brother. That’s the point, for it means they both know what happened to the real Xerxes Tell. I could read that much. While you were speaking to him, he was planning in his mind what he would say to his brother. Something has changed and they’re worried about people finding out about the real Xerxes Tell.”

She looked at them with fear in her eyes. “He was rehearsing a message to his brother Rad, that they should consider killing Tell. He’s a loose end.”

Rusal shook his head. “I don’t understand. It’s almost impossible to believe. He died, and we all saw it.”

The meal lay on the table untouched. They were each lost in their own thoughts. Surely, it couldn’t be. It was just incredible!

“Could you have made a mistake, Evelyn?” Rusal asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m certain he’s alive.”

The waiter arrived and looked with dismay at their meals left untouched.

“Was there something wrong with the food? Wasn’t it to your liking?”

Rusal put his hand on the man’s sleeve to reassure him. “It was fine, but we’ve just had something of a shock. Bring us a bottle of brandy and three glasses.”

“At once, Admiral.”

The bottle arrived, and Rusal had barely taken a sip when his communicator beeped. He answered it, then ended the call and gave them a troubled look.

“That was my headquarters. Rad Bose has arrived for a tour of inspection. Pieter Bose rushed back to Tulum to speak with him first.”

“That’s not good, is it?” Blas asked.

He shook his head. “No, it isn’t, I must return at once. I suggest for the time being you two stay with Max Biermann, don’t return to Tulum. If I’m arrested, it could be difficult if you’re in my house.”

“Arrested? I still don’t believe it,” Blas said, aghast.

“It could happen. If it comes to that, ask Max. He’ll know what to do.”

“You mean we’re to look for Berg, don’t you?”

“Yes, Berg Smetana. We’re going to need him.”

Rusal left the restaurant to return to his headquarters. They paid the bill and left, still hungry. An ancient street vendor sold them a bag of roasted burlash chips, but they tasted disgusting. Blas remembered years ago when the center of Peria had been alive with food vendors. The food was good, too. He asked the seller where they had all gone, as well as the tasty food they sold.