Lows and Highs #2
“I’m a soldier, a beast of war. I’m afraid I’m poorly suited to politics,” I said. “Even so, I hadn’t imagined the Federation made such friendly contact with Imperial dissidents.”
Bridgette managed to snuggle closer as we walked. “Not as friendly as I made with you,” she purred. “But we’ve pursued every opportunity this war offered us.”
“Even a coup?” I asked. “You know this will mean civil war in the Empire. You don’t know who will win, and the next Emperor may not honor the deal you struck here.”
Lady d’Lyre squeezed my arm. “There will be no instability. Nobody outside the Crystal Palace knows what happened. By the time the treaty is signed, the story will be complete, and so believable everyone will accept it. The Empire will be stable, the Federation prosperous, and the Commonwealth allowed to survive.”
Despite my distaste for the current events, I was curious. I asked, “What is this story in which you place your faith?”
“The plan is to blame the Fall event on the former Emperor. Prince Selnikov’s allies will say she started the war purely to rid her Empire of political opponents and weed her court of dissidents.
As soon as she felt comfortable in her power, she ordered the Fall device detonated so she could bring the war to a swift end.
She never cared about the conquest and does not respect the deaths of her warriors.
She was only concerned with her own power and glory, like the Mad Emperor before her, so her replacement was necessary. ”
“So Astrid lives,” I said, a tiny moth of flame fluttering to life in my breast as we turned a corner and entered the Crystal Palace’s main hall.
“I honestly don’t know, and truthfully, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter, anyhow. The usurpers will execute her before long if she survives her wounds. They can’t have an ex-emperor hanging around to focus dissent against their authority.”
“Then why arrange my release? I’m a loose end, a connection to the Emperor. It makes more sense for you to leave me to die.”
“Consider it a thank you for a wonderful night and enjoyable morning.”
“Enjoyable for you, perhaps,” I said.
Lady d’Lyre scoffed. “Don’t act as though the evening was not pleasurable for you as well.”
“Oh, it was,” I replied, “but I don’t see the Emperor here, and she was more responsible for the evening than I.”
Lady d’Lyre placed a finger gently against my lips. “The Emperor is dead, her fate consigned whether her heart still beats or not. I cannot save one so influential, but you? You I can spare.”
We rounded the corner into the Great Hall, where the Commonwealth delegation was assembled.
I looked at the hard, implacable faces of Prince Aureli, Colonel Boleslaw, and the other Commonwealth diplomats and officers.
Clearly, they were not in a forgiving mood.
“You may spare my life today, but I doubt I shall ever see daylight as a free man again.”
“Then I shall have to make do with conjugal visits. Perhaps we’ll find a female prisoner to fill the empty position.
” Before I could stop her, Lady d’Lyre took my head in her hands and kissed me, passionately, full on the mouth, and in full view of Commonwealth, Federation, and Imperial delegates.
I was certain Archduke Darius and Princess Marie were both in the crowd.
Somehow, their opinion of me mattered more than the rest of the assembled notables combined.
Yet I was unable to pull away. The Federation senator held me tight, and it was only when she withdrew her tongue from my mouth and let me go that I was able to straighten up.
“Au revoir, Captain. May we meet again soon,” Lady d’Lyre said. Wordlessly, I turned on my heels, and with as much military stiffness as I could muster, I marched to the Commonwealth delegation.
Colonel Boleslaw stepped forwards to meet me, but it was not she who spoke. Instead, it was a sergeant-at-arms. “Captain Levar Boylan, you are under arrest for acts of treason, including conspiracy against the Commonwealth and consorting with the enemies of the Queen.”
I raised my shackled hands. “So are we to exchange handcuffs, or will these bindings suffice?”
Prince Aureli glared at me, but Boleslaw smiled slightly.
The sergeant-at-arms looked confused, but eventually settled on slapping a magnetic cable on my existing cuffs.
He gave a strong pull, but I pulled back, standing firm.
Had I been an ordinary cavalry captain, the sergeant would have forced me to come, but instead he paused.
During my time here, I had become something else, something more, something worthy of consideration. Something noble.
My heels together, I faced my prince and his colonel. “What’s the situation, Colonel?”
Boleslaw raised her eyebrows and glanced at the prince, but Lynwyzc said nothing, so Boleslaw answered me.
“We’re in a holding pattern at the moment.
The Imperials are arguing amongst themselves.
Thus far, Prince Selnikov has kept his various dogs from biting one another, but we cannot count on him keeping his nobles leashed.
The Noble Federation has thrown their lot with the usurpers and abandoned the Alliance.
They’ve arrested and imprisoned the entire Despotate delegation at the usurpers’ behest.”
“And the Emperor?” I asked, my demon heart pounding steadily despite my anxiety.
Boleslaw paused, raising my tension before she said, “Alive, for now.” I breathed a sigh of relief as she continued. “She was wounded in the fight, but our intelligence indicates her condition is stable. The usurpers are keeping a tight cordon around her while they decide what to do with her.”
“They’ll kill her,” I stated.
Boleslaw nodded. “It is the only outcome which makes sense, but when, where, how, and why are yet to be decided. She may have time yet.”
“What happens now?” I asked.
Boleslaw spread her palms. “Now we pick up the pieces, see what we can recover from the chaos, attempt to improve our diplomatic situation.”
Prince Aureli stirred, then spoke. “Meanwhile, you return to the capital for your sentencing.”
Military discipline did not require courts of law. A superior officer could hand down sentencing as they saw fit. However, as an officer, I had one recourse.
“I demand a court-martial,” I said.
The prince laughed. “You’ll have it, but I promise you, it will be very short.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What is my crime?”
Prince Aureli finally looked me in the eye. “Isn’t it obvious? You’re guilty of treason. Surely, you didn’t expect to get away with everything you’ve done and not receive a single reprimand for your transgressions?”
I could see how my actions looked treacherous from an outside perspective, but I knew the truth, and I knew how little it would matter. I felt my shoulders sag slightly. “Perhaps not, but I had hoped somebody would see that all I did, I did out of loyalty to my Commonwealth and Queen.”
“If you were truly loyal, then you would not have joined the enemy,” Prince Aureli declared.
“I didn’t join the Empire. I was appointed the Emperor’s Consort. I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter,” I snapped.
“You could have refused. You should have refused. Royal Commonwealth citizens are forbidden from holding noble titles in foreign nations,” Prince Aureli said, as dry as though he were reciting from a law book.
I snorted. “That’s rich, coming from you. You hold noble titles in half the League states.”
“That’s different,” the prince said with the air of an automatic defense. “I have royal dispensation for those honorifics.”
I felt a nasty smirk crawl onto my lips, a smirk which didn’t reach my eyes. “I see, so if you’re rich and influential enough, the laws simply don’t apply to you? No wonder we’re being consumed by the Federation. It seems we’re no different from them anyways.”
Boleslaw looked shocked. Prince Aureli looked furious. I would not have been surprised if he slapped me. “How dare you compare me to those traitorous harpies?”
“Why not?” my mouth barked before my brain could generate a response. “You used me when I was useful, then abused me the moment I was not. You’re a poor excuse for a Commonwealth officer, and I’m ashamed to call you my prince.”
“Sergeant,” the prince snarled, “remove this scum from my sight.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the sergeant replied, then tugged on my binders.
“A moment, please,” Colonel Boleslaw said, making a placating gesture to ward off the prince’s glare. Then she rushed over, close enough that her whispered words would only be heard by me. “We’ve had trouble locating your hoversteed.”
“Tilly? What’s happened to her?” I asked, alarmed.
“We’re not sure. Her stable is empty,” Boleslaw admitted.
“Did someone take her?”
“There’s no sign of forced entry, nor any struggle. Knowing your steed, I can’t imagine she wouldn’t put up a fight against anyone wishing her harm. Someone let her out, someone who knew the combination and held her trust,” Boleslaw said.
I shrugged. “What do you think I can do? I’ve been locked in the brig since the coup, with no contact to the outside world. I didn’t release her. I don’t know who did, but even if I knew, I doubt I’d be inclined to tell you now.”
Boleslaw glowered. “Come now, be reasonable. Such reticence won’t look good at your court-martial.”
“Nothing will look good at my court-martial. I only hope the reason for my hanging will be public knowledge, and not swept away as though nothing happened.”
I walked away from the colonel without permission.
Not that I needed her to dismiss me, not anymore, now that I was a prisoner and not an officer.
The sergeant took a moment to realize I was walking before he caught up and assumed his position in front of me.
A quartet of Commonwealth guards, wearing dirks and broadswords but no lancers, fell in around us, and we marched away from the hall.