Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [254]
“You are withholding something from me.”
“Yes, Liege. Yes, I am.”
Jora’h stared at him, and Udru’h stared back as if challenging the Mage-Imperator’s will. They waited in silence for a long moment. Finally Udru’h backed down. He seemed satisfied with what he had seen in his Mage-Imperator’s eyes. “Your green priest lover, Nira Khali, is still alive. I have kept her isolated on Dobro. She is alone on an island where all her needs are taken care of. I daresay she is more content there than when she served in our breeding camps.”
Jora’h gasped, lurching forward. “Nira is alive?” Explosions of joy rippled through him, followed by a wave of outrage. He didn’t know whether to shout with excitement or order Udru’h’s immediate execution. “And you kept it from me!”
The Designate remained calm. “I no longer see any purpose in holding her as a pawn. I was unsure of your ability to lead, Jora’h, and I feared for the Empire. But now I am convinced, even if I do not understand your strange attraction for her.” He bowed his head slightly. “I will bring her back to you.”
As Jora’h fixed the Dobro Designate with an implacable gaze, he found that his joy at the prospect of seeing Nira again, of rescuing her from her years of terrible distress and begging her forgiveness, proved to be stronger than his immediate need for vengeance. Keeping his voice flat he said, “Even when Nira is safely returned to me, there is much for which you must atone. After all the pain and strife our Empire has suffered, this news seems as bright to me as the star we lost in the Ildiran sky.” He hesitated. “But I am surprised you would reveal such a thing, without asking for anything in return. I always saw you as uncooperative, harsh, and needlessly bitter.”
The Dobro Designate was not easily shamed. “Perhaps you think so, Liege, but I have served the Mage-Imperator and the Ildiran Empire with my every breath. I followed the orders of our father, just as I have obeyed your instructions, whether or not I agreed with them. I stand by every action I have taken.” Finally, Udru’h lowered his eyes and backed away to a respectful distance. “I was never your enemy.”
Chapter 130—ANTON COLICOS
When Anton’s escape ship was brought to Mijistra, the Ildirans were astonished to hear of the massacre on Maratha. According to the lithe warrior woman Yazra’h, the Mage-Imperator had long held suspicions about the Klikiss robots. Now his worst fears had been confirmed.
Even under the sunlight and surrounded by people in the Prism Palace, Rememberer Vao’sh remained withdrawn, unresponsive, barely alive. The revered storyteller still could not find his way back to the safety net of thism, though it was all around him.
Anton did not give up on his friend.
Treated as a guest, the human historian was fed and given proper care. He recuperated for a day, after which Yazra’h offered to be his assigned escort at Mijistra. But he did not need an escort. “I want to see Vao’sh,” he said.
With her exotic face set in a determined expression, the beautiful warrior woman guided Anton through curved corridors saturated with colored light. Her Isix cats prowled along beside them, and Anton uneasily recalled the shadow lions on the dark side of Maratha. But his only real concern was for Vao’sh.
In the Prism Palace’s infirmary, the old rememberer lay on a bed bathed in warmth and illumination. Though open, his eyes stared at nothing, blinking only occasionally. The once-expressive lobes on his face were pale. His mind was far gone into madness.
Anton did not ask, so Yazra’h spoke for him and demanded of the medical kithmen who tended Vao’sh, “Has his condition changed?” When the doctors looked anxiously at her Isix cats, she snapped, “Answer my question.”
“He is lost and alone, forever wandering at the blind edge of the Lightsource. We can only hope he is happy there.”
Anton said, “We fought so hard and endured so much. We battled monsters and robots, and we escaped. We flew our ship without guidance for days.