34 On Thin Ice in Thin Air #3
I slapped the count to focus his attention.
“Don’t toy with me. You admitted to setting off the Fall device long before you knew I still lived.
You had this planned long before I entered the game.
You’ve told me enough to have you executed for treason in any court on the Rim, so I’ll give you one last chance to save your life. Where is the Emperor?”
“I’ve told you nothing but hearsay,” Zukov replied. “No one will believe you unless you somehow manage to reinstall your Emperor on the throne. I won’t help make that possible.”
“You will if you want to save your miserable hide,” I said, my dirk back under his chin.
Zukov gulped, but his eyes were steady. “There are fates more humiliating than death.”
My gut told me to gamble, so I did. I stood, sheathing my dirk and making it look as though I was going to leave. “Fine. Then we’ll leave you to watch as we win. Come, Archduke, we can find the Emperor before these bumbling buffoons figure out which end of a lancer is dangerous.”
The archduke gave me a look which implied he questioned my sanity, but Zukov spoke behind me, laughter in his voice.
“You think you have that sort of time? You little fool. The only reason the former Emperor still lives is because we need her death to be public. Once we agree upon a story to legitimize our coup, your precious Astridur shall be taken from this place, portaled back to the capital, and her execution shall be broadcast to every world in our Empire and beyond.”
Archduke Darius stared at me, and I gave him a slight nod and smirk of success. I half turned to look back at the count.
“So she’s here, on this station,” I stated. Count Zukov’s sudden horrified expression told me I was right. “Thank you, Count. You’ve been most informative.”
“You’ll never get her alive. The dungeons are too well guarded,” Zukov protested.
“Even better. Now we know exactly where to look. You wouldn’t want to save us even more time and tell us her cell number and the combination?
” Zukov’s face hardened, but he shut his mouth.
I sighed theatrically. “Very well. Recently, you gave me some advice regarding treacherous enemies. Do you remember what you said?”
Zukov started to shake his head, but then his eyes widened as realization struck him. All mirth left my face, and I reached for my lancer.
The archduke clamped his hand around my wrist. “No, don’t shoot him!”
I tried to jerk out of Darius’s grip, but he held me firm. “If you expect me to spare this monster out of mercy, you have the wrong man.”
Darius looked at me with incomprehension, then drew his zeroblade. “Someone will hear a lancer bolt,” Darius clarified.
“Oh,” I replied, releasing my lancer to draw my own dirk. Zukov knew what was about to happen, and he tried to crawl away, but with his wrists and ankles bound behind him, he could do little more than squirm.
I grabbed the demon’s horn, wrenched his head upright, and drew my blade through his throat. It slid through flesh and bone with only a slight whisper of resistance, and the former count’s head came free in my hand. I turned it to look at me, but the life had already left the betrayer’s eyes.
I dropped the head on its body. “Did anyone hear us?”
“No alarms that I see,” Tredesceu replied.
“No one coming through the door,” Pavlov confirmed. “We’re clear.”
“Perfect. Now, let’s talk about how we’re going to rescue Astrid,” I said.
The three people in the room stared at me, wearing various expressions of disbelief.
“Are you insane? There’s several thousand armed Imperials guarding her,” Darius said.
“We’ll never have a better chance. When they find his body, they’ll lock down the station. We won’t even be allowed inside, whereas right now, nobody knows we are foes. We can walk to her cell unnoticed,” I argued.
“And if someone does notice?” Darius asked, gesturing to the decapitated corpse at my feet.
I drew my lancer. “That’s what these are for.”
“The chance of success is essentially nil…” Darius argued.
“The chances of success were always slim. At least if we fail now, the rest of our conspirators can abort their operations,” I reasoned.
“None of the others are in their positions. We’ll endanger everyone else if we strike prematurely,” Darius countered, but I was prepared for that.
“If we don’t take this chance, our operation might never begin.” I softened my voice, pleading with the archduke. “Let’s strike now. If we succeed, it will be glorious. If we fail, at least we’ll fail fast.”
Exasperated, Darius turned to Pavlov. “Please tell me you don’t think this could work.”
“It will never work, but it will be glorious. Our names will be sung to the stars in Imperial ballads forever more,” Pavlov breathed, enraptured with the idea. “The forlorn hope of a fallen Emperor, loyal to the end. How magnificent.”
Darius pointed up at the massive demon, then at me. “You are clearly insane, and you, Captain, have let love cloud your reason. Major Tredesceu, explain to these two this is impossible.”
Tredesceu stroked his chin with a gloved hand. “Improbable, Your Grace, but not impossible. Upon further consideration, it seems to be our best hope.”
Darius threw his hands up. “I’m surrounded by madmen. Fine. Explain to me your brilliant plan.” So I did.