Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 06_ Vortex - Denning Troy [25]
Once Ben had joined the Khais in the smoke-clouded air next to the pyre, Gavar Khai finally turned to his daughter. “High Lord Taalon told you to stay with the Jedi, did he not?”
Vestara dropped her gaze and nodded. “He did.”
“Then what are you doing here?” Khai demanded. “He was relying on you to prevent them from betraying us.”
“Yes, I know.” Vestara shot a demanding glance in Ben’s direction, silently threatening to break her promise unless he came to her rescue. “But there were … circumstances.”
Khai narrowed his eyes and glanced in Ben’s direction, then looked back to Vestara. “Let us hope High Lord Taalon finds your circumstances acceptable,” he said. “He is not one to easily forgive disobedience.”
Vestara swallowed hard and dropped her gaze. “I await his judgment.” She gave Ben a sidelong glare, clearly warning him not to push her. He smiled and remained silent; a promise meant nothing if it was easy to keep. She fought off a sneer and looked back to her father. “Once the High Lord hears the facts, I’m confident he’ll understand.”
Khai studied her for a moment; then his expression grew worried. “You should not be confident, daughter … not at all.” His gaze lingered as the color drained from her face. Then he turned to Ben and stepped forward until they stood chin-to-nose. “Now, young Skywalker, tell me what you did to my daughter?”
Ben rolled his eyes and, without tipping his chin back, met Khai’s gaze. “I saved her life.”
Khai’s expression grew even stonier. “And you had to blacken both eyes to do it?”
Ben glanced over at Vestara’s purple, swollen eyes and realized that it did look as though she had been hit. Vestara smirked and looked away, letting him know that he was on his own. He returned the smirk with a one-sided grin, then looked back to her father.
“You’d rather I leave her hanging in a bloodvine?”
A hint of fear flashed across Khai’s face, then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He made no move to step away or seem any less threatening, but Ben knew that he had made his point—and that the time had come to prove to Vestara that he could be trusted not to betray her, either.
“That’s what I thought,” Ben said. “And she didn’t disobey anyone’s orders. She was chasing me.”
Khai scowled. “She was behind you?” he asked. “And you are still alive?”
Ben rolled his eyes. “Skywalkers aren’t easy to kill,” he said. “You should know that by now.”
A cold presence entered the courtyard about five meters behind Ben, then a silken Keshiri voice said, “Oh, we do know, Jedi Skywalker—you may be certain of that.”
Vestara and her father pressed their sword hands to their chests and bowed, and Ben turned to see High Lord Taalon crossing the courtyard toward him. Next to the Sith walked Ben’s own father, his expression as curious as his Force aura was energized and wary.
Taalon stopped two paces short of Ben, at optimum striking distance for his lightsaber, then demanded, “So the question becomes: why were you disobeying orders?” He pivoted so that he was standing at an angle to Ben and Luke, smoothly placing himself in better position to address them—or to defend himself against them. “I’m aware that you Jedi don’t place the same value on discipline as we Sith do, but surely when a father gives a command, he expects his son to obey.”
Luke faced Taalon directly and frowned. “That works for you? With teenagers?” He put on an expression that managed to look both surprised and doubtful. “I hope you don’t expect me to believe that.”
Taalon’s eyes went cold. “I assure you, Master Skywalker, I won’t be distracted by your mockery.” He turned back to Ben. “Now, will you instruct your son to answer me? Or shall I have to ask Vestara?”
Taking his father’s cue to act the part of an unruly teenager,