Chapter 63 Summoned by Serath, Rafe
SUMMONED BY SERATH, RAFE
The transport dips through the clouds, and I see the city of Rima sprawling beneath us. Reima Two’s second largest city and financial hub.
“Zira of House Serath,” Lorian says with awe. “The unofficial matriarch of Rima. There’s no older or wealthier family. I’m not surprised she’s summoned us.”
“No,” I agree, “it’s only surprising she waited so long.”
“The rumors are that she’s fond of humans.”
“A pet,” I correct him, though even before we land I know it will be more complicated than that. I have no doubt this has something to do with Eve. I’m just worried that whatever she wants, the price may be too high for what we are willing to pay.
The transport banks low, skimming towers of glass and alloy. Rima doesn’t have Alba’s colorful buildings; it’s a much more serious-looking city and makes Alba look quaint by comparison.
We touch down at the Serath estate. It is less a home than a citadel of commerce, with walls of living crystal that radiate economic power.
Guards guide us through colonnades lined with black-veined stone. Inside, chambers flow one into another; the compound serves as both a residence and a business entwined.
Finally, we are announced, and Zira receives us in a large hall that is sparse except for the silk banners of her house that break the solid black of the obsidian walls, traditional Reima Two decor. She doesn’t rise when we enter; she just watches us, as if she’s reading a very serious report.
I’m surprised that she looks younger in person than she does in images. Her face is a pleasing round shape; her clothing is immaculate, as are the silver chains around her neck and coiled through her black hair, denoting her power and status.
Lorian and I both bow deeply.
“Sovereign Rafe and Shadow Sovereign Lorian.” Her voice is low, resonant, and assured.
“You have come to Rima at last.” She lets the words breathe before adding, with a flicker of amusement, “One wonders why you have not gone to see your beloved Eve first. Or perhaps you trust your father implicitly.”
I clench my fist.
Lorian’s smile fades.
Before either of us can answer, she continues, “I will speak plainly. I watched the trial. I saw the pain in both of your eyes when the human Eve Eden was sentenced by the IGC, and I heard your words. Your truth that you didn’t hide from the galaxy, that you both would dare to love one who is only equal when surrounded by those who see her as thus. That is why I have called you here.”
There is movement on her right. A man steps forward, a human with dark hair, and he’s dressed, not as a pet, but as an attendant. He carries himself like a servant, but the set of his shoulders betrays who he really is to Zira.
Lorian’s glance slides to me. We both implicitly understand now.
Zira’s lips curve slightly, as though she has caught the thought. “Now let’s talk business,” she says with a professional tone. “Of equal employment for humans hired as peers. I am aware that the Ascendant Alliance has tried to hire humans and failed many times .”
“Yes, in the galaxy we have failed,” I admit. My voice is steady, but my pulse hammers. “But on Earth, at our Terra Sanctum hotel, we have an almost completely human staff managed by Reima Two men, and it works.”
“And Eve?” Zira asks. “She came from the same hotel. What happened?”
“We chose Eve for her intellect. What we didn’t fully appreciate was her empathy for the human competitors,” I reply.
Zira lifts one hand, a graceful dismissal.
“Of course you didn’t. Don’t be so hard on yourselves.
You’re only men. What do you know about the compassion of women?
If you had such compassion, men would not be able to fulfill their roles in the galaxy.
It’s not your fault. Your mother is no longer with you, and you have no sisters to guide you. ”
“This is true,” I say and bow.
“But, you know what I see?”
Neither Lorian nor I respond to her rhetorical question.
“Eve acted as any Reima Two woman would have. She saw suffering and saw a way to help, so she took it. Of course, her ignorance about the galaxy had her helping the wrong organization. But if her actions prove anything, it is that humanity is the same as us.”
“Yes,” Lorian agrees. “Humans have souls and should be treated accordingly.”
“Ah yes, the religious brother. I’m afraid my family stopped believing in the Imperial goddesses centuries ago, but I’ll agree with you in saying humans are just as sentient as we are.”
“And how does this relate to House Serath’s business?” I ask, not wanting this conversation to get bogged down in a spiritual discussion.
Zira inclines her head, acknowledging me.
“Desperation breeds desperate acts, which is why Gael the Returner’s movement and Terra Ka continue to grow, but terrorists’ actions never grow straight into decent laws.
So we must ardently support the new IGC law regarding human equality and systematically strike down the others, like Terra Ka, or we will never see any real change. ”
I’m surprised she used the word we. “Are you implying House Serath and the Ascendant Alliance work together?”
“Yes, there’s no better way to shift laws than with markets.
Combining our efforts, we can make it unpopular to support the human pet trade.
You have already begun the movement by declaring your love publicly.
Yes, you lost a lot financially, but what you lost you gained back tenfold in soft power, which is why you’re here now with me. ”
“It will take centuries,” I say.
“We have centuries. This isn’t a battle or war, Rafe.
It’s an evolutionary movement for the galaxy.
If you want to rule like a woman, you need to start thinking like a woman.
Gael thinks like a man, and Tribune Jin Kol also only thinks like a man, which is why neither will ever be successful. This is about life, not death.”
“Why didn’t you help us before?” Lorian asks.
“I was amused watching you men play at your Grand Championships and Terra Ka stealing humans, but when I saw you at your lover’s trial, I realized that you might be men worthy of my time and effort.
This was solidified when I heard the rumors about what happened in your personal shrine and the decision to send Eve away so that you could find a way to release her from her sentence. ”
Lorian and I bow and say in unison, “Thank you for this opportunity.”
“You can thank me when we’ve actually seen the tide begin to turn.
Now, as I see it, the trainers and the IGC, led by Tribune Jin Kol, want blood for this year’s Championships,” she says.
“House Serath can blunt the investigation, but only if the Ascendant Alliance binds itself to us through contract.”
“Contract?” Lorian asks.
“Marriage,” she says simply, “temporary and transactional. Your reputation for excess offsets my House’s need for reform.”
“And in return?” I ask.
“I keep your human alive long enough for you to decide what freedom means, and how we might come to a settlement with the IGC for a second law regarding equality for humans.”
“Then we have an accord,” I say as relief washes over me.
Then, we speak of numbers, of employment boards, of sectors where humans might serve openly—trade, hospitality, engineering.
We speak of percentages, contracts, joint ventures.
It is all business on the surface. Yet every word circles back to the truth we all recognize but do not name.
This is not only about Eve, but this is also clearly about Zira’s human attendant, who has not left her side. Every gesture and every glance between them reassures me that my first instinct was correct; he is no servant. He is to her what Eve is to us.
But being the matriarch of Serath, she cannot openly be with a human or she will be ousted from her position and maybe even made an Outcast by her own family. But if the laws were truly changed, not just in theory, but in practice, she would have some ground to stand on.
“Fine,” Zira says at last. “I will be in touch with the Alliance Force, which monitors Earth. Any humans who are trying to sneak back to Earth and break IGC laws will be given the choice to work for me rather than be sentenced.”
“I heard they were hiring some of them illegally at Alliance Force,” Lorian adds.
Zira laughs. “What good are human women to the Alliance Force? I will negotiate for them and let their Commander keep the men if that’s what he needs. As I understand it, they need credits more than they need personnel.”
I nod. “And with your support, we will reappeal Eve’s sentence, citing Gael as the real criminal.”
“Of course he is. He’s a thorn in everyone’s side, just like his father.”
“His father?” I ask.
“Kamos.”
Lorian and I exchange looks.
“Oh, how sweet. You didn’t know? I’m surprised. But it’s no matter. Yes, that’s why Gael is more successful than he ought to be. Kamos thinks Terra Ka is some kind of joke or indulgence, I don’t know which, but he often aids his son in rescuing humans.”
“But his wife?” I say. “He sent her to Kamos, and the rumors are she returned pregnant with Kamos’ child.”
“Everyone has a kink,” Lorian supplies without hesitation, and I’m relieved he doesn’t add that he and our own father have shared Autumn.
“And is that your kink too?” Zira asks. “Is that why you sent Eve to be with your father?”
I realize now she didn’t bring up Gael and Kamos as randomly as it first seemed. She wants to know if we also get off on having our father fuck our lover. “No,” I say firmly. “Our father is under strict instructions not to touch her sexually.”
“And you trust him?”
Lorian answers calmly but in a matter-of-fact tone, “Our father’s word is his life.”
“Good.” Zira rises at last, and her guards bow instantly. “Through devotion, empires endure. Through recognition, we ascend. From this day, House Serath will not deny humanity its place. Stand with me, and the law will bend to our will.”
Lorian and I bow and say together, “The Ascendant Alliance will do its part. May we be successful together.”
When we leave her estate, Lorian and I are silent until the transport lifts from the platform. Then he glances at me, his voice low. “Will it be enough?”
I stare out at the shiny buildings of Rima below. “It has to be.”