A Forest of Stars - Kevin J. Anderson [129]
When he returned to his private quarters, Jora’h was startled to see the shimmering silhouette of a stranger waiting for him behind the colored translucent walls.
He didn’t think he had forgotten a scheduled appointment with one of his mandatory lovers. In recent days, he had been so deeply involved in intensive briefings with his ailing father, as well as his contemplation in the ossuarium, that he had been forced to postpone many of his scheduled mates. Soon, when he ascended to become the new Mage-Imperator, he would never take a lover again. But as the dreaded time grew nearer, Jora’h realized that his enjoyment of such physical pleasures had diminished. Greater things weighed on his mind.
Inside his chambers, he was surprised to find his son Thor’h.
The younger man stood abruptly, meeting him with a stony determination. “I had to invoke my blood right to convince the bodyguards and bureaucrats to let me come here. I needed to see you in private.”
Jora’h sealed the door behind him. “I am always glad to speak with you, Thor’h.”
The Prime Designate took a moment to assess his son. Most obviously, the young man had cleaned himself up, taking meticulous care with his appearance again. His face was powdered. He’d applied careful paints and highlights, and a strange, alluring perfume wafted around his clean skin.
Again, though, his eyes showed the too-sharp focus of shiing; the drug rendered Thor’h‘s place in the web of thism blurry and insubstantial. Unsettling. After the horrific hydrogue attack, Jora’h realized that shiing was probably in short supply throughout the Ildiran Empire. Just like everything else.
Thor’h had dressed himself in an opulent Designate’s uniform, as befitted his role as eventual heir. The young man held himself with pride and confidence—already quite a change from recent hedonistic days when he had refused to take his responsibilities seriously. Much had changed for this boy who had thought everything would be handed to him on a jeweled platter.
In previous days, when Jora’h had checked on his son, it was always to find him gray-faced and disheveled at the unconscious Designate’s bedside. Now, though, Jora’h was impressed. Thor’h looked as if he had been through a trial by fire and had matured greatly. Apparently the young man had reached some sort of decision.
“You have made it clear, Father, that you want me to study here at the PrismPalace. But so much has changed since you told me I had to come back to Ildira. The Hyrillka Designate is still in a deep sub-thism sleep and shows no sign that he will ever awaken.” Thor’h‘s voice cracked, but he caught himself.
Jora’h could see how much the young man loved his uncle Rusa’h. “The medical kithmen are doing everything possible—”
Thor’h interrupted him. “I know that.” He took a step forward. “Father, the hydrogues laid waste to the crops and the cities and the spaceport on Hyrillka. The people there—many of them my friends—are grievously injured. Adding to their distress, the Designate—their closest link to the Mage-Imperator—is no longer with them, nor is he likely to be. And his replacement is not ready.” He squared his shoulders. “I want to go back to Hyrillka and oversee the salvage and recovery operations. Someone has to be in control. Our people there need guidance.”
The request startled Jora’h, but he gave it serious thought. “What about your brother Pery’h? He is the Hyrillka Designate-in-Waiting. Should he not be the one to take on such a responsibility?”
Thor’h scowled, but quickly covered his expression. “He is not ready for that responsibility, Father. He is still young and…and much more interested in his studies. No one knows the needs of Hyrillka as much as I do.”
Jora’h found himself nodding. “Pery’h could do a service as well by helping to develop a large-scale plan for the reclamation of the planet. He can work beside the architects and engineers.”
“I would not want him to get in the way, if he come to Hyrillka. It is severely damaged, and the people need a strong anchor. I can do that.”
Perhaps it would