• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 669 0

wild-eyed, at the Empress, then at his enemies. He could not think. The lies would not come. He had one chance left. He shoved the Empress to the floor and with a thought erected an invisible but impenetrable barrier between himself and the others.

He ordered his body to shift, and it obeyed. Lhiau, now wearing the face and body of the Empress herself, stepped forward and pressed a button. The face of the commander appeared.

"Begin the invasion!" shrieked Lhiau, in the Empress's voice.

Stahl looked unhappy, but he would obey his Empress. Lhiau knew he would. At mat moment, Lhiau heard a humming noise. He knew what it was and turned quickly, but not quickly enough.

Several dozen centurions materialized in the throne room. They appeared around the fallen Empress, encir-cling her, protecting her. One helped her to her feet even as the others fired.

Lhiau could not be harmed by the weapons, but they distracted him. His concentration slipped. Energy fire ripped through the borrowed image he wore, and he could feel the shape he had assumed shifting back and forth, from the Empress to the masculine body he had imagined for himself. Over the shriek of weapons fir-ing, Lhiau heard Stahl screaming the Empress's name, heard the Empress's voice lifted in rage. His barrier was swept aside as if from the force of the entire Shep-herd race. Invisible hands closed on his shoulders, shoving him hard to the floor. He was not able to move.

Seven of Nine, Khala, Torres, and the whole of Engineering stared at the image that was being played out as if by holograms in front of them. There was no purple light hovering in front of them anymore. Their task was done, and now they had to watch, helpless to interfere.

Oddly, Seven thought of Telek R'Mor and little Naomi Wildman. She wasn't sure why.

It happened so fast that it took Jekri precious seconds to even realize what had occurred. She had never been in battle herself, though she had orchestrated many. The noise, the sudden movements, her own frazzled nerves served to paralyze her for just a moment.

The centurions appeared, forming a protective circle around the Empress. Jekri watched, seeing everything as if in slow motion, as the Empress got to her feet, very pale and clutching one arm hi an awkward position. Not only had Lhiau dared lay hands on the Empress, but he had hurt her!

Rage flooded Jekri and she surged forward. The barrier was somehow gone, but someone seized her arm, stopping her.

Snarling, she turned to look up into the face of the Praetor.

"No, Little Dagger," he said. It was only then that the tiring stopped. Had the Praetor not grabbed her, Jekri would have rushed headlong right into the line of fire. She'd have been vaporized instantaneously.

She stood, breathing heavily, beside Verrak and Telek R'Mor. Lhiau was on his hands and knees, held there by the delicate-seeming Tialin.

"Excellency, are you all right?" the Praetor asked. Jekri had never been so glad to hear his high-pitched voice in her life.

Obviously shaken, still holding her arm, the Empress nodded. "Your intervention was timely, Praetor," she said, her voice admirably steady. "How fortunate." Once again, Jekri's heart swelled with love and pride for her noble Empress. She had been swayed by Lhiau's powerful mental controls, but in the end, the Empress herself had broken the spell the Shepherd had cast upon her. She was in all respects a worthy leader.

"Not as dependent upon fortune as you might think. I have been watching you, Empress."

Despite her obvious pain, the Empress straightened and frowned. "Spying on me?"

The Praetor inclined his head. "Those words are accurate, though harsh. I never trusted Lhiau. There were many who did not." Now he turned to look at Verrak,

Telek, and Jekri in turn. "I did what I could to help those who were brave enough to openly show their mistrust."

All at once, Jekri realized just how deeply the Praetor had been involved. He had warned her that night of the formal dinner, when the