Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [177]
Pellidor's fingers spasmed, and he dropped the cup on the floor, where it shattered. His face twisted with amazement. He turned toward the Chairman and collapsed, groaning and gasping. Basil scrambled away from him. Pellidor made a choking sound. His face writhed, his tongue swelled, his eyes bulged . . . and he fell slack.
Pandemonium erupted in the banquet hall. Media crews rushed forward. Royal guards stormed in. The appalled Chairman stood unmoving, and Sarein grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the table.
Captain McCammon barked orders at his men, and royal guards rushed to form a protective circle around Peter and Estarra. "Get the King out of here! There's been an assassination attempt." Moments later, as an afterthought, guards came to protect Prince Daniel as well.
Basil attempted to recover, swiftly raising his voice, aware that the media would be showing these clips for the next several days. "Yes, take the King and Queen to the Royal Wing for their own safety--and guard them well." His voice grew harder. "There may be other assassination attempts."
Peter and Estarra looked suitably stunned, and Sarein didn't think it was an act. Just before the two were rushed away, the Chairman gave Peter a hateful glare. No matter how she had tried to divert suspicion to Pellidor, Sarein could see that Basil knew exactly who the real culprit was.
103
KING PETER
With urgent steps, the royal guards rushed the King and Queen out of the banquet hall. Captain McCammon led the way with his twitcher drawn. "Isolate them in their quarters as swiftly as possible!" His maroon ceremonial beret was askew on his bleached-white hair.
Royal guards folded protectively around Peter and Estarra. Although their functions were frequently ceremonial, the gaudily uniformed men moved with gratifying precision. The Queen's pregnancy hindered her movement, but she kept up. If she slowed, Peter was sure the guards would pick her up and carry her in their arms.
"This way! Clear the halls." McCammon raised his voice to a bellow. Functionaries and Palace workers scattered into side rooms. "You two, head to the next intersection. Keep watch. Highest alert!"
Estarra stumbled, and Peter caught her. They kept running. Both of them knew the implications of what had just happened. Peter had seen Basil's glare. "That's it, then," the Queen mumbled to him, her voice bleak. "We're dead."
"Not if I can help it, Your Majesty," McCammon called back over his shoulder. "No need for talk like that. We'll keep you safe." The royal guards had no idea what was at stake. Or maybe, Peter thought, they actually did. . . .
There would be no safety for the two of them in the Whisper Palace.
The lead pair of guards stopped at a junction of corridors up ahead, drew their weapons, and blocked access so that the group could hurry the royal couple through without pausing. Palace District security squads had closed off the banquet hall. The two hundred guests would be held for questioning, grilled over and over again about any possible involvement with Franz Pellidor. The Palace would be in continuous chaos for many hours.
Peter ground his teeth together. The Chairman knew damn well there were no other accomplices, that Pellidor had nothing to do with the attempt, yet he had to go through the motions. Media imagers had broadcast the reintroduction of Prince Daniel. Much of Earth's population had seen Sarein accuse Pellidor and watched him fall dead, supposedly a victim of his own poison.
Why had Sarein ruined everything? If she'd guessed about the poison, she would also have known that Pellidor was not involved. Peter wasn't particularly sorry that the murderous expediter was dead. Long ago, it had been Mr. Pellidor who kidnapped an unsuspecting boy named Raymond Aguerra and then arranged for the conflagration that had killed Raymond's--Peter's--family. Pellidor deserved a death