24 Wheels Within Wheels
WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS
I STRUGGLED IN futility against the silk sashes binding my wrists, chest, and ankles.
I’d hoped the kidnappers would have given me a way out, but it seemed they hadn’t considered my release when they left.
Frustrated, I began bucking wildly, hoping to break the chair apart.
Time was of the essence. I had long lost any sensation in my limbs, and my hands were turning an alarming shade of purple.
“Excuse me, sir. May I assist you?”
I whipped my head around to see, inverted in my vision, a hordling. “I recognize you,” I said.
“Really, sir?” the hordling replied.
I wracked my memory. “You’re the hordling who brought me to stargaze with the Emperor.”
“Yes, sir. I’m surprised you remembered.” The hordling took a step forwards.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“The Emperor’s Champion thought you might need assistance escaping from her bindings,” the hordling replied.
I scowled. Of course Ankhelina would find a way to turn releasing me into an insult, but damn it if she wasn’t right.
I would have loved to throw her ‘kindness’ back into her face, but I was honestly worried I might lose my hands if I remained tied up much longer, so I nodded.
The hordling swiftly undid the knots holding me.
Blood flowed back into my extremities with an excruciating rush of needles in my veins.
“Please, sir, use my shoulder to help yourself back on your feet.” The hordling offered me said shoulder. By the time I’d winced my way to an upright posture, the hordling was holding a pair of small objects in his hands.
“What are these?” I asked.
“The information Count Zukov promised you, sir,” the hordling replied, handing me a small data drive. “It should interface with any Commonwealth computer, sir.”
“And this?” I asked as I took a small vial from the short, scaly humanoid.
“An Imperial stimulant, sir.” I raised my eyebrow. “We thought you might wish to review the information contained there instead of sleep. Now, if you’ll please follow me, sir.”
“Where are we going?” I asked as I set off after him.
“Back to your chambers, sir. You need some privacy before the day begins.”
I tried my best not to limp after him, my gait growing smoother as feeling returned to my limbs. “So whose side are you on?” I asked.
“Side, sir?” the hordling asked.
“Are you for the Empire, or the Emperor?” I clarified.
“I see no difference between the two, sir,” the hordling replied. Internally, I applauded his servile diplomacy, but I would have preferred a clear answer.
I expected the hordling to take me to the Commonwealth suite, but instead he took me through a pair of wide glass doors onto an open balcony. “What are we doing here?” I asked.
“Returning you to your chambers in a way which avoids most of the prying eyes watching for you,” the hordling answered. He gave a small whistle through his teeth, and Tilly descended from the sky to hover before me.
“Tilly, what are you doing here?” I asked.
Tilly gave a quiet, cheerful chirp. The hordling coughed behind me. “I spoke to your steed earlier, sir, and asked for her assistance in this manner.”
“And she let you?” I asked, incredulous.
“It did take some convincing, sir, but once I informed her of your need, we managed to reach an accord,” the hordling said. Tilly waved her aerovanes expectantly. At her urging, I climbed into the saddle.
Before the hordling could send me away, I asked, “What is your name?”
The hordling looked at me with pursed lips and raised eyebrows, as if he did not know how to take my question. “Does it matter, sir?”
“It does to me. Anyone who can convince Tilly to do anything is somebody whose name I should know,” I said.
The hordling bowed his head slightly. “Very well, sir. If you must, you may request my personal services by asking for Ingvar.”
“Who should I ask to find you?” I asked.
“Just ask for Ingvar, sir. I will hear.” The hordling named Ingvar nearly smiled, then he gave Tilly a gentle push, and I sailed into the night air.
I did not know how to get to my chambers from the outside, but Tilly must have been paying better attention to my position than I’d expected, as she threaded through the crystalline towers and rose to a specific window with unerring accuracy.
As we approached, the decorative pane swung open to reveal Wiktor, still in his royal livery.
“Wiktor, what are you doing here?” I asked, feeling especially repetitive.
“Waiting for you, sir,” Wiktor replied, reaching out to help me climb inside.
“How did you know I was coming?” I asked as I stepped from Tilly’s back through the window.
Wiktor gave me a knowing smile. “We servants must work together. It’s the only way we can hope to keep up with our charges’ variances.”
“Even if those servants are Imperials?” I asked.
Wiktor haughtily raised an eyebrow. “Servants are servants, regardless of nationality. When it comes to state secrets, we are as patriotic as any soldier, but when it comes to serving our charges, our responsibilities bridge all divisions.”
I gave Tilly an appreciative pat on the chassis and sent her back to the stables with a few words of thanks.
Wiktor helped me out of my ruined tropical uniform with a disappointed series of tuts and laid out my sleepwear.
However, instead of going straight to bed, I asked for a personal computer.
When Wiktor questioned me, I replied that I had some reading to do before the morning.
Wiktor set the computer on my writing desk and left, promising to wake me before breakfast.
I set myself at my small desk with my computer, considering the vial before me. Did I trust Ingvar the hordling? Was this a stim vial, or a dose of poison? Even if it was what Ingvar claimed, was the data on the drive worth the risk?
I decided, what the Fall. The worst that could happen would be my death, and I was marking time anyways. I slotted the drive chip into my computer and downed the shot of sour liquid. In for a penny, in for a pound.
The drive folder came up on my computer’s VR display, and I opened it, leaning back as I looked through the data within.
There were hours of information in the drive, days even.
I couldn’t possibly get through it all in one sitting.
Idly, I commanded the computer to copy the data to the vaulted hard drive and looked through to select the files which interested me most. In particular, I wanted to know what had brought Astrid back to the Empire, away from me, and what had happened to her in the meantime.
As I browsed the information, I suddenly realized I was perfectly awake.
I wasn’t jittery and overexcitable, as if I’d taken a Commonwealth stim, but instead felt like I’d slept a full night in a soft bed.
I wondered what was in the vial I’d drunk but decided to take the gift of a free night’s time.
I’d have to thank Ingvar and ask him about the vial’s contents later.
I’m not certain how much time I spent reading about Astrid’s coup, but my next recollection of the outside world was Wiktor coming in to wake me. He paused upon seeing me seated at my desk instead of recumbent upon the bed.
“Captain, are you quite all right?” he asked.
“Perfectly,” I said, standing and stretching.
I truly did feel excellent, alert, yet calm.
In fact, I felt better than that. I felt in control.
I held in my hands not only my own fate, but lines which could influence the fate of the Royal Commonwealth, the Empire, and the whole quadrant.
I wasn’t a cork bobbing in an endless ocean, swept along by tides I was powerless to resist. I was a yacht capable of forging my own path over the waves.
I found I rather enjoyed it.
“Wiktor, please lay out my undress blues. I want to look my best for the prince this morning,” I said.
Wiktor raised his eyebrows, but set about as I asked, helping me shave and wash up.
When I felt appropriately attired in my snappy undress blue jacket and khaki trousers, I tucked my swagger stick under my arm and sauntered off to breakfast.
The table was set as usual. Prince Aureli sat at its head, Colonel Boleslaw at his right elbow, various diplomats and staff officers seated down either side, and a side table with coffee, cakes, and savories awaited my attention.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” I said as I casually strolled over to the breakfast table. I was aware of the stunned silence behind me as I grabbed a plate.
“Captain Boylan?” Prince Aureli asked, his voice incredulous.
“Yes, Your Highness?” I replied, serving a buttered muffin onto my plate.
“You went missing last night.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” I said, as though it was a matter-of-course activity. I snagged several eggs and a few rashers of bacon to arrange on my muffin. I was enjoying this.
I turned about to find Boleslaw standing behind me. “Where did you go after you left the party?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” I replied, moving to step around her and sit at the table, but Boleslaw snagged my elbow, nearly making me drop my plate. “Steady on.”
“Captain, come with us,” Boleslaw ordered as the prince stood, throwing down his napkin.
“Can I bring my breakfast?” I asked.
“By all means. Bring your tea, too,” Boleslaw replied. I turned and saw Wiktor standing impassively at the back of the room. The moment my eyes met his, he nodded and moved to acquire a teacup.
Prince Aureli led the way into the parlor, and Boleslaw dragged me along after the prince with an iron grip. Once the door shut, Boleslaw spun me about. “You have some explaining to do, Captain.”
I noticed a comfortable-looking plush armchair nearby. I took a step over and sat, crossing my leg and resting my breakfast plate in my lap. As I took up my fork and knife, I innocently asked, “What would you like to know?”
“What were you doing last night, Captain?” Prince Aureli demanded.