Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [97]
More than three hundred ornate ships flew away from Ildira on a mission of mercy. One-eyed Tal O'nh--second in rank only to Adar Zan'nh--led them all. According to what Vao'sh had told Anton, the old commander had lost his left eye in an explosion aboard a warliner when he was merely a septar; O'nh now wore a faceted jewel in his empty socket. The gem's reflected light provoked more fascination than pity.
Anton suspected that the sheer number of vessels was the Mage-Imperator's magnanimous way of demonstrating his acceptance of Hyrillka back into the fold. These warliners were not meant as a stern punishment but an acknowledgment of forgiveness. Each ship was full of able-bodied soldiers, talented engineers, much-needed supplies--and Rememberer Vao'sh and Anton Colicos as observers to document it all.
Anton thought his rememberer friend would have avoided traveling ever again after the horrors of Maratha, but Vao'sh needed to see what lost treasures were hidden in the vaults beneath the citadel palace. Besides, the rebuilding and restoration of Hyrillka was something a rememberer should witness. Freed from his travel restrictions, now that he was being sent away from Mijistra, Anton felt like a child who was no longer grounded.
In addition to providing relief supplies and reconstruction workers, the primary reason for the expedition to Hyrillka was to deliver the new Designate who would govern the world. His name was Ridek'h, and he couldn't have been more than thirteen years old.
Anton's heart went out to the kid, who waited anxiously with them in the warliner's command nucleus. Ridek'h always hovered close to Yazra'h, whom the Mage-Imperator had appointed as the boy's mentor. She devoted most of her attentions to the young man now, which was something of a relief to Anton.
Under normal circumstances, the Mage-Imperator's noble-born sons were his Designates, assigned to planets across the Ildiran Empire. The rightful Hyrillka Designate had been Pery'h--a well-educated and thoughtful man, according to everything Anton had heard--but Rusa'h had murdered him at the beginning of his rebellion. Now that the uprising had been crushed, the next in line was Pery'h's young son. Under normal circumstances, the boy would never have had to assume this role. The untimely death of a Designate was rare, and a Designate-in-waiting usually served for years before assuming the mantle of leadership. This time, though, there was no chance for a transition. It was all being dumped on the kid, and Ridek'h was overwhelmed. Anton wouldn't have wanted to be in his shoes. He preferred observing from the sidelines.
Standing beside them in the command nucleus, Ridek'h peppered Yazra'h with questions even before they had left the Ildiran system. "Do you really think it will be as bad there as they say?" Anton listened to the guard woman dispensing her wisdom and support. Yazra'h was not a political instructor, but she had a strength of character that would serve the young Designate better than a dozen courtly schoolteachers.
"It is as bad as it is," she said. "You have inherited a burden greater than you ever imagined you might bear, Ridek'h. But it is your burden. Carry it."
"The people on Hyrillka will help me," said Ridek'h in a piping, hopeful voice. "Will they not?"
"They are your people, and you are their Designate. You will have anything you need."
"What if I need strength in my heart?" He looked so impossibly young.
"If it is within my capability to give it to you, Ridek'h, then I will do so. The Mage-Imperator asked me to help you, though I have no experience in formal instruction. Your father would have made an excellent Designate. Now I will do my best to show you how to become a wise leader."
Anton felt like an eavesdropper, watching the intimate discussion between the two. Ridek'h put on a brave face, swallowed his anxiety with a visible gulp,