Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [57]
He began to feel alone and detached. He tried to stand strong, refusing to show his anxiety, but he didn’t know how long he could endure this. Zan’nh drew a long breath and fixed his mind on memories of the great Adar Kori’nh and the Mage-Imperator.
I will endure as long as necessary.
Rusa’h smiled at him with complete confidence. “Now they are mine, the full crews of two warliners, as well as the rest of the subcommanders. They have shifted their allegiance, because I have made them see what was previously hidden from them. Now they think the same way I do, they believe what I tell them. I will take over the remaining warliners one by one. As my followers grow and my thism network expands, the work becomes easier and easier.”
Zan’nh lifted his chin. “You didn’t give me the shiing. Are you afraid my will is too strong?”
“As I said, your bloodline makes your ties to the thism strongest. You must come to my way of thinking voluntarily. Once you see what we are doing, once you understand how you’ve been misled, you will change your mind.”
I will endure as long as necessary. He thought the words like a mantra.
Rusa’h heaved a satisfied sigh and lounged back in the chrysalis chair. “Call my pleasure mates. We have more work to do.”
Chapter 25—KING PETER
When he saw the look of joy and amazement on his Queen’s lovely face upon arriving on Ildira, Peter forgot all his cares, forgot even about the hated Chairman standing close to them.
They stared in awe at crystalline structures infused with blinding colors and dazzling reflections. Even the spaceport air was heady with sweet perfumes blended for a slightly different set of olfactory senses.
Holding the potted treeling in her arms, Estarra turned to Peter, beaming. “I’ve seen the great worldtrees on Theroc, and I’ve seen the Palace District on Earth, but nothing like this! Reynald told stories from when he visited Ildira. Now I have to establish a whole new set of criteria for my sense of wonder.”
Peter laughed as they emerged from the diplomatic transport to face the Mage-Imperator’s formal reception. Ahead, he could see the spectacular Prism Palace composed of hemispheres and ellipsoids, spires, balconies, and arched bridges. The multiple suns in the sky shone like spotlights from every direction, radiating rich light of different colors and neutralizing all shadows.
A neatly regimented group of bestial-looking guard kithmen approached, accompanied by a parade of more human-appearing bureaucrats and nobles. Lovely female courtesans with smooth heads and swirling body tattoos of color-changing paints and solar-reflective gels stood like trophies.
Basil stepped down the diplomatic ship’s ramp behind a group of gaudily uniformed royal guards and a few silver berets. He did not glance at the scenery. Peter wondered if the Chairman had ever appreciated the small realities of the universe around him, or if he had always focused only on the big picture.
Basil glanced at the treeling Estarra carried, then scowled. “Where did that come from?”
“It is a gift for the Mage-Imperator. One of the treelings I brought from Theroc.”
Before the Chairman could express the words that were clearly building in his throat, Peter interrupted with a false smile. “The treelings are the Queen’s to do with as she pleases, Basil. Such a present will remind the Mage-Imperator of his friendship with Reynald. Think of the diplomatic advantage it can bring.”
Not willing to concede the point, Basil pretended that he didn’t have time to argue. Taking charge, he gave a curt bow to an Ildiran trade minister of some kind. “I am Chairman Wenceslas of the Terran Hanseatic League, accompanied by our King Peter and Queen Estarra.”
The minister gave an Ildiran salute, placing a fist against his sternum and then raising both hands. The minister directed his attention exclusively to