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.He spoke fast.“Your revered presence deserves the greatest courtesy, Your Glorious Highness.”Jai pushed back his chair.“We appreciate your esteem.We are especially pleased at the opportunity to visit Lord Xir.”Kaliga obviously wanted to deny him the visit.But he rose to his feet, apparently choosing to avoid the risk of compounding the offense he had given.“Certainly, Your Highness.”It took an order from Jai to clear Kaliga’s guards out of Corbal’s study, where security had confined the Xir lord.Not that anyone believed sending them away would give Jai and Corbal privacy; with Corbal under arrest, Jai’s people could no longer scan the rooms for monitors.“You mean Sunrise?” Jai stared at Corbal, certain he had misunderstood.Sunrise would never steal security files from Kaliga.“She isn’t capable of betraying your trust.”Corbal paced the room.“ESComm agrees with you.”Ah, hell.No wonder they had arrested Corbal; they believed he had put Sunrise up to the theft.“I thought the monitors showed her in your room the whole night.”His cousin stopped pacing and scowled at him.“Our most honored admiral believes my own people bestowed their skills on those monitors to ‘improve’ the recording.”It sounded like they had accused Corbal of altering records to protect Sunrise while she stole from Kaliga.Jai wanted to question him, but he wasn’t certain how to proceed.Although Corbal often spoke more plainly with him without meaning insult, Jai didn’t have a good feel for when direct speech was or wasn’t appropriate among kin.“Admiral Kaliga is a man of intelligence,” Jai said.“He can work wonders in many media.” It wasn’t the most subtle point, given how close it came to an accusation that Kaliga had forged the record, but it would do.Corbal began to pace again.“I have been impressed by the elegant dinners set by the Kaliga Line.Many other Hightons share my admiration.Just look at the caliber of the guests who dined here last night.”“A fine company.” In truth, Jai had thought them detestable.But Corbal was right.Kaliga wasn’t the only suspect.Corbal stopped in front of Jai, thoughtful.“Our esteemed host has high connections.Few others have the intellect to achieve his accomplishments.”Jai nodded.In other words, few of the dinner guests had the access and ability for such an audacious theft.Unfortunately, that helped implicate Corbal, who did have both.Admiral Kaliga had the best access, but he was too smart to plan such an outrage in his own home—unless he expected everyone to make exactly that assumption.Jai didn’t think Corbal had done it; he sensed no deception in his cousin’s mind, and he knew Corbal would never endanger Sunrise.But if not him, then who? And why frame Corbal? Given his power and wealth, and his own son’s position as Intelligence Minister, it wasn’t likely ESComm could make a successful case against him.Although Jai had heard of no conflict between the Kaliga and Xir Lines, that said little, given the incomprehensible tangle of Highton interactions.For all he knew, Corbal and Kaliga were mortal enemies.Perhaps Kaliga wanted to discredit Xir.But Jai found it hard to believe Kaliga would arrange such a crime; it was too extreme, especially given the current disaster with Minister Iquar and Admiral Taratus over Kelric’s disappearance.Jai left Corbal’s rooms more uncertain than before.Surrounded by Razers, he went out to the gardens and paced down the paths.He would have to return to Glory without Corbal.As much as he had chafed at Corbal’s scrutiny, he had more independence now than he could handle.He needed his cousin; without him, he was lost.As emperor, surely he could obtain Corbal’s release.The problem was, he didn’t know how, and if he stumbled in this, he could antagonize ESComm.He didn’t trust anyone enough to ask.Corbal had brought up his cousin, High Judge Calope Muze, several times, but Jai didn’t see why he should have confidence in her over any other Highton.He felt more inclined to seek out Corbal’s son, Azile.Dispirited, he sat on a bench by a lake and stared into the water.Life glimmered in its depths, ribbons flickering here and there.Jai looked up at one of his Razers, who stood under the overhang of a nearby droop-willow.The man bowed.“May I serve Your Highness?”Jai motioned him over.As the Razer approached, Jai stood up, feeling vulnerable next to his towering bodyguard.“Is the silver girl still in my suite?”“I will check, sir.” Using his gauntlet comm, the Razer conferred with guards in the house.Then he said, “She is in her own suite, Your Highness.Housekeeping took her back this morning.”Housekeeping.Jai hated it when they spoke that way, as if Silver were furniture to be dusted.She had been his first lover, sweet and sensual; in her arms, he had felt like a real emperor instead of a bumbling youth.He started to tell the Razer to show him to her suite, then realized it would be awkward, even scandalous, if the emperor attended a provider.So he said, “Please bring her here.”His guard bowed.“Yes, Your Highness.” He headed to the house, leaving Jai with the other Razers.Sitting on the bench again, Jai gazed across the lake to the far shore, where droop-willows were reflected in the water.He wished the tranquil scene could settle his troubled heart.Silver soon appeared, walking along the lake with his Razer, her blue drapes fluttering around her body.When she saw him, her face suffused with pleasure.Jai rose to his feet and she came to him, her cheeks touched by a rosy blush.Then, to Jai’s dismay, she knelt.He didn’t know which was worse; having them treat him this way or fearing he would someday come to expect it.He touched her shoulder.“Please stand, Silver.”She rose and smiled, her face aglow.“My pleasure at your presence, Most Honored Highness.”“Jai,” he murmured.“Jai.” She spoke so only he could hear.He took her hands.“Thank you.”Confusion washed across her face.“You are most welcome.”Jai wanted to explain his gratitude, but what could he say? Thank you for making my first time with a woman such a gift.Thank you for being an island of serenity in a turbulent ocean.Silver’s gaze softened as if he had spoken aloud.She raised his hands and pressed her lips against his knuckles.With a sigh, Jai pulled her close, filling his arms with her soft curves.“Come home with me,” he said against her hair.“To my palace on Glory, in the Jaizire Mountains.”She drew back enough to look up at him, regret dimming her luminous gaze.“It would be an incredible honor [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]