Chapter Fourteen

We came in low over the capitol city, and I wondered how my home would look to this young Tygerian prince. The capitol was named Banova, after a long-ago emperor from our history. It was a huge city, with millions of people.

We didn’t build upward as a rule, but outward, so most of the larger homes and offices were sprawling structures that stretched over a lot of acreage. That was largely due to volcanic activity on our planet, with more than our share, it seemed, of earthquakes. Jago’s eyes were wide, trying to take it all in as we flew low over the city.

“Follow my lead after we land,” I told Jago. “Stay with me and don’t let anyone separate us. Everything will be fine. You’ll be fine—

He nodded, looking apprehensive. I reached for his hand again and squeezed it. “As I once heard you say to Rakkur on my ship—'don’t worry. You’ve got this.’”

We came in for a landing at the palace docks, but it was still a long way to the palace itself. We attracted a great deal of attention on the docks and people came from every direction to gawk at the “alien technology.” Linnius kept our population far too insulated from outsiders, in my opinion.

They stared at Jago too, as we disembarked and headed toward the transport that would take us to the palace.

I stayed close to Jago as we walked down the long, high-ceilinged corridor leading off the docks and into a wide-open building that was huge, with many windows and a lot of light streaming in. We came into a transport station, where a group of people were waiting outside a set of three doors. A loud whooshing sound was coming from inside a tunnel behind the doors and I stepped closer to Jago, thinking he might be frightened. He smiled at me reassuringly.

“We’re taking the transport to the Arbinus, which translates to something like Government Hall in your language. The council is waiting.”

“Not the emperor?”

“No, the council first. I hope so, at least. I don’t want Linnius causing trouble before we get there,”

“Oh.”

“Linnius may request us to stay at the palace for a few days. Don’t worry if he does. I’ll be there too.”

He sagged against me a little, giving him some of his weight. I knew he was feeling apprehensive no matter what I said. I dreaded meeting the emperor myself. Not because I feared him, but because he was so toxic. I looked down at Jago and a feeling of protectiveness came over me strongly. I was becoming used to touching him and being close to him, and I wondered if he objected. He didn’t seem to.

The transport finally arrived, and the doors glided open to admit us. It took off with a great deal of speed and Jago was plastered against the seat and my arm for a moment. I liked having him so near me, but I thought surely there were better ways to move people from one point to another over long distances. These things were old technology. Linnius didn’t invest in enough domestic projects—he was too busy destroying other planets.

We got off the transport at a docking station. I explained there were stations everywhere as no vehicle of any kind was allowed in the business section of the city. It was why I’d had to leave my shuttle so far from the docks.

This was far from the first time Jago had traveled to alien planets—I knew his parents had been Voyagers—but this was his first time on what he would think of as a hostile planet. No one was threatening him in any way, though, so I decided not to borrow trouble and try not to be so nervous for him.

The palace as we came up to it was large and built of stone. It sat at the end of a long street and was surrounded on all sides by a tall metal fence. We stepped out onto a dock, and I led him inside the gate and over to the entrance by way of a set of stairs that came out onto a wide landing on the councilman’s hallway.

We went inside and down another corridor to a large double door. It was all very fancy and ornate, and I noticed him looking at it. I sat down and patted the seat next to me for him to sit beside me. “Are you nervous, Jago?”

“Nervous? Yes. But I-I’m fine. You said…you mentioned that you’d have to make the emperor and the others think you’d claimed me as your bounty. Can you tell me again what that is, exactly?”

“A bounty is a prize to be won by the captain and crew on a dangerous mission. In this case, a hostage, which can be valuable. They’ll no doubt have a great deal of interest in you.”

The doors suddenly opened and the sergeant at arms motioned us inside, bowing low to me. He was a friend of Itaka’s and had always been friendly toward me. It was good to see him.

“Excellency, please come in. The council is waiting.”

“I thought you were a member of the council,” Jago whispered to me. “Are they always so formal?”

“Always,” I said, and took his hand in mine to lead him inside.

A long table sat at the end of the room, and I was disappointed to see Linnius sitting at the head. I steeled myself and made my way to the front. Then, instead of standing before them like some petitioner, I took a seat in the first row, leaning back casually. Linnius was occupying my seat so I pulled Jago down beside me.

“Good afternoon,” I said, looking up and down the long table. I bowed my head slightly to Linnius and saw him frown.

“Well, Dominiko, what do you have to say for yourself?” Linnius said, too loudly and forcefully. Several of the councilors looked surprised at his greeting.

“What do I have to say? I say this. I’ve just returned from a perilous mission, where my crew and my ship were captured and I, myself, was briefly imprisoned. Yet I managed to escape and here I am, with the hostage you said you required. The grandson of King Davos himself. Is that enough for me to say?”

Linnius’s face blushed dark red, and he glared at me, but the others at the table were looking at me approvingly and nodding their heads.

Linnius spoke up, still blushing. “Tell the hostage to stand up so I can look at him. It is a him , isn’t it?”

“This is Prince Jago,” I said, ignoring his rudeness. I rose and turned to hold out my hand to Jago, who stood up beside me as he took it and held on. I repeated my words in Tygerian, and he straightened and gave them all a long, measured look, with a touch of defiance in it. I managed not to smile, but it was a close thing.

Linnius stood and swaggered over to stand before us. “You’ve done well, Dominiko,” he said, in a thick voice that sounded like he was choking over the praise, which I’m sure he was. “You lost my valuable ship and the crew but at least I have my hostage. And he seems pleasing to look at. He’ll make a nice addition to my dula. ”

“While your Imperial Highness is correct that he is a hostage, I’m afraid he won’t be joining your dula . I’ve claimed the boy as mine.” I gave him a moment to absorb that information and then continued. We were speaking Pton, so Jago remained vigilant but silent beside me. The little hand holding tightly to mine had its two first fingers crossed.

Linnius was too well aware of his own image to appear shocked, but I still knew how he felt, and judging from the color of his cheeks, he was livid with anger.

“I understand, however, if you’d prefer him to be inside your dula for safe-keeping. So I’m willing to move into my grandmother’s old wing—temporarily, if that will suit you better.” I bowed slightly to him.

Tension fell over the room, and the air grew hot and thick with it. Linnius’s face looked like a thundercloud.

“What did you say?” he demanded. “ What do you mean the boy is yours? I’m the one who sent you after him, and I’m your emperor.”

“Yes, your Imperial Majesty. But once I met him…I’m afraid it was more for me than just finding him “pleasing” to look at. The blood lust struck quickly and without warning. You’ll know, of course, that it runs in our family. Our father…well, I don’t need to tell you. I’ve had to claim him, so the boy is mine.” I reached over and tipped up Jago’s chin to show Linnius the mark. He glared over at me when he saw my bite.

“Why have you done this?” he demanded, obviously furious.

I merely gazed back at him. He knew why. Our father had left his mother and had never returned to her bed once he met Itaka. His mother had lost her favored position at court over it, and there was really little more to be said. I didn’t feel like explaining anything more to the man anyway.

He frowned mightily at me but abruptly turned away, showing me his back, and went back to his seat.

“He will live inside the dula !” he shouted. “That’s non-negotiable!”

I bowed. “As you wish, sire. I’ll have my things, along with his, moved into my grandmother’s old quarters right away.”

He swept away then, right out of there, followed by his guards and his courtiers who scrambled to keep up, and for a moment after he left, the room was silent. Then I laughed out loud and a few of the council members laughed nervously along with me, hiding their smiles with their hands.

One of them, an older man by the name of Leonis, shook his finger at me. “One day you’ll push him too far, Dominiko, and he’ll come after you.”

“I look forward to that day,” I replied and sauntered over to take his place at the table. I began giving them my report on my less than successful mission to capture hostages.

“We were lucky to take even one hostage. The Tygerian ships are impressive, and not to be underestimated. If Linnius were wise, he’d give up his plans for invasion. I met this King Davos, and he’s fierce and has many sons. He’ll be a formidable opponent. Using the one wormhole to take a fleet of ships into the spiral galaxy known to us as C390 is, in my opinion, reckless and foolhardy.”

Another of the council members, nearer my own age, made a scoffing sound. “How fierce can they be if they all look like this boy?”

He saw my face then and his face paled as he quickly amended his words. “Not that your little prince isn’t beautiful.”

“You’re right, he is. But this boy is a grandson of the Tygerian king and a cross-breed. The king himself, and all of his sons, are large, powerful men. Though I remind you of my grandmother, Itaka, who is not a person to cross in any kind of way. Size doesn’t always matter. This young man is not someone to trifle with.”

“True enough,” Leonis said. “Itaka was not one I’d like to make angry. Many others made that mistake when she first came here to Pton. Each and every one of them disappeared. Lucky for you, Lord Dominiko. Safe individuals are for marrying. Dangerous ones are for pleasure.” He glanced again over at Jago. “Would you say this young prince of yours is dangerous?”

Jago knew they were discussing him, though he didn’t understand a word of what they were saying. He stared steadily back at them before glancing up at me.

“I’d say he definitely is.”

“Then you’re a lucky man.”