Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [35]
“I brought this one myself from Theroc, when I came to marry you,” she explained, stroking the golden scaly-barked stem. “Since we’re about to meet the Mage-Imperator, it seems a fine gift for him. You don’t mind?”
“Basil won’t like losing one of the treelings.”
“Nahton is the court green priest, and he said this wouldn’t affect the performance of his duties,” she said, sounding bolder than she felt. She had already run through the arguments in her head. “Besides, Sarein is bound to return from Theroc soon. She can bring more treelings with her.”
Estarra secured the potted container as their craft began to accelerate out of orbit, escorted by several old-model EDF Manta cruisers. She and Peter both hated to be in such close quarters with the Chairman; they knew what he was capable of. Basil had never denied trying to kill them, and the friction between the Chairman and the King remained unresolved. And she was very nervous that Basil would learn their new secret.
“It’s going to be a long trip to Ildira,” Estarra said.
Not long ago, she had discovered that she was pregnant, which was cause for both joy and fear. Once she’d quietly confirmed that she was carrying Peter’s baby, Estarra had revealed the news to him.
Though the pregnancy was unexpected, she certainly wanted the child, and so did Peter. Basil had imposed birth-control measures on the couple, but no method was entirely reliable, and accidents happened. It wasn’t their fault.
But Chairman Wenceslas did not tolerate “accidents”—unless he staged them himself.
As pressures mounted from the hydrogue war, the recalcitrant Hansa colonies, and the outlaw Roamer clans, Basil demonstrated his increasing edginess and irrationality. There was no telling how he might react upon learning the King and Queen were due to have a royal heir, especially one that he hadn’t planned.
“He’ll find out sooner or later, but let’s keep it a secret for now.” Peter had whispered the faint, breathy words in her ear one dark night as they held each other close. “As long as we can. Otherwise Basil has too many options—and not many of them are beneficial to us.”
Secrets. She was growing to hate them. Estarra had grown up in the peaceful worldforest on Theroc. She had a close family and many friends among the green priests. She’d never been good at keeping secrets. But now her life, or at least the life of her child, depended on it.
Peter noticed the slight changes in her behavior, her appearance, her appetite. She needed to use the privacy chambers more often and suffered from occasional nausea. The subtle signs were there to indicate a pregnancy. Aboard the diplomatic transport, so close to Basil Wenceslas, she was terrified she would let something slip. The Chairman usually watched everything so closely.
However, as the journey progressed, Basil kept himself wrapped up in business matters, engrossed in the documents and news briefings displayed on his datascreen. For such an expert in political and business matters, the Chairman did not seem to know or care much about personal details.
Peter shocked her when he actually went out of his way to ask Basil to join them for the evening meal. “You’re tempting fate,” she said to him in an urgent whisper. “Don’t call attention to anything!”
But the Chairman predictably brushed aside the invitation, and Peter gave her a knowing smile. In a low voice, he said, “If I didn’t ask him, he might join us unexpectedly. Offering to spend time with Basil is the best way to make sure he leaves us alone.”
“You two have a very twisted relationship.”
“Yes, we do.”
On the second day en route, when Estarra walked with Peter down the ship’s main corridor, they unexpectedly encountered the Chairman as he stepped out of his cabin. Estarra felt as if they were children who had accidentally disturbed their father in his study.
Peter flashed his most dazzling smile at the Chairman. “Basil! I was just curious