The Princess Rebellion (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  “Without casualty?” Ellie balked, ignoring the look of warning her mother was not even trying to hide from the others. “Look around you, Gevandar! Tell those of your people who were enslaved by Svoryk that you would have killed them without thought. The Huptsovian military is not a volunteer force. I’ll not lead an army against those who are brainwashed, forced, or otherwise not in control of their actions.”

  Gevandar had the gall to smile. “If you are incapable of doing that which your very birth dictates you must, then it becomes necessary to call into question your capabilities as the Eidyn master.”

  A whisper of gasps rippled through the chamber, but were quickly suppressed when the Eidyssic representative stood.

  “Prince Gevandar,” he said in a low, musical voice. “As leader of this assembly, it is your right to question, but I must ask, what is your motive in challenging that which is an Eidyssic concern and not necessarily an Alliance concern?”

  Gevandar turned his gaze to the other four council members, who watched the exchange without a hint of reaction. “My justification is that El’iadrylline has lived her life on a primitive planet with no guidance and no knowledge of her true heritage. As such, she is ignorant of the rules of civil society. Her ignorance in the face of oppression puts us all in danger. I am asking that she relinquish the Kyroibi to someone more qualified to make vital life or death decisions.”

  “By all rights, my lord, your claims may be valid if you are questioning Lady El’iadrylline’s right to serve on the assembly as a representative of Korghetia,” the Eidyssic representative replied. “But I see no reason to call into question her competency as true master.”

  “Your objection is noted, Ka’griannas, but as leader of this assembly, I am not asking the opinion of one man. I have called the Council of Kyri here today in the hope that as a people, you will see reason. Consider this a formal request for judgement.”

  Not surprisingly, the ripple of muttered comments ceased altogether as the four remaining council members emerged as one from the shadows. Ellie dared a glance at the Eidyn representative, but his impassive expression betrayed nothing as he stepped back to take his place among the five council members.

  An older woman who stood several inches taller than Ellie stepped forward, the triad of diodes in the middle of her forehead pulsed with a dim, almost imperceptible light. The message was clear. Though she was to speak on behalf of all of the council members, she was merely a vessel for their collected voice. The same message displayed in the diodes of the other council members. Curiously, Ellie wondered if anyone else understood the message or if it was intended specifically for her.

  “El’iadrylline,” the speaker addressed her in the heavily accented and musical Eidyssic tongue. “Prince Gevandar of the Ghowrn Alliance of Sovereign Worlds calls into question your role as true master of the Kyroibi. Understand that he does so as is his right under the law of the Kyri, which states that any person of any sentient race may at any time call into question the actions of the true master should they be found in opposition to the protection of peace within the galaxy.”

  Anger rose suddenly and it was all Ellie could do to keep it from illuminating the entire room. Despite quickly schooling her emotions, she knew the council had seen her frustration. Who was Gevandar to call into question her qualifications? Sure, it was a role she had never asked for, but it was a responsibility she took seriously. Certainly more seriously than he, if he thought the whole purpose was for war.

  “However,” she continued, “Prince Gevandar appears ignorant to the fact that the primary function of the Kyroibi is knowledge, not war. El’iadrylline’s suggestion to open a dialogue with the Huptsovian Empire comes from a place of knowledge. Custodianship will remain El’iadrylline’s and the challenge shall be dismissed.”

  “Preposterous!” Gevandar spat. Ellie was positive he had not considered the possibility of the council rejecting his argument.

  “With all due respect, your majesty, the Kyroibi is a powerful and autonomous artifact,” the councilmember said in a voice that betrayed no emotion. She then turned to Ellie. “It is our understanding that you have been to the Kyri temple of Ia’na Eidyn?”

  “I have,” Ellie answered with a nod.

  “Then we are confident that the knowledge of the ancients has bestowed you with the necessary information for custodianship, regardless of the location of your upbringing. You’ll have the support of the council for as long as you uphold the spirit of Eidyssic law.”

  “Thank you,” Ellie said, meeting the eye of all five council members.

  “I believe this ends the Council of Kyri’s involvement in the Alliance’s current affairs,” the speaker said, addressing all of the representatives, including Ka’griannas, who had quietly detached himself from the council and returned to his seat at the assembly table. Without waiting for a dismissal, the remaining four council members filed from the room.

  Well, at least I’m not the only one who thinks Gevandar a power hungry bore, she thought with derision, though she could not pretend she wasn’t shaken. So much so that she hadn’t realized the meeting continued and her mother was speaking. She’d only caught the tail end, but she didn’t like the implications of the words she heard. Especially because it seemed she was telling Gevandar this was a temporary setback.

  “Our first responsibility should be to reinforce perimeter battalions around Sonna,” Ka’griannas noted in an obvious attempt to bring the meeting back to what was important.

  “With an army that is already stretched to their limit,” Queen Romana of Sonna added dryly. From the way her expression had morphed from smug to sour over the course of the meeting, Ellie was certain she was a firm supporter of Gevandar’s plans. “Exactly how are we supposed to do this?”

  “I believe the moon in question is Du. Uninhabitable and if I understand correctly, in an unstable orbit that makes exploration impossible?” Ka’griannas asked.

  “That is correct,” replied Lyett, the Sonnan refuge representative. He appeared more relaxed and even a bit curious as to where the discussion was heading. “All exploratory attempts, even with the aid of Eidyssic technology, have resulted in failure. It is simply too hostile a climate.”

  Ka’griannas nodded. “One assumes this is the reason the Empire is camping their battleships in the general vicinity of Du. They would never expect a strike from the moon’s surface.”

  “Of course not, because we can’t issue one,” Gevandar cut in, clearly impatient with the interruption to his planning.

  “You, my lord, cannot,” Ka’griannas agreed, showing his first hint of emotion as amusement played across his face. “But the children of Eidyn are better equipped to handle hostile environments with no discernable atmosphere. With enough time to assemble a task force, I can have a team on Du who will disable the battleships, taking out their armaments and leaving them only enough power to return to their base.”

  “Why disarm?” Gevandar asked. “If you have, as you claim, the technology to land safely on Du, then why not eliminate the battleships entirely? We have the weaponry to do so.”

  It was all Ellie could do to keep her outrage at Gevandar’s callousness to herself, but fortunately, the Eidyn leader was on the same page.

  “As Lady El’iadrylline very clearly stated, most imperial soldiers are enslaved peoples who cannot be held accountable for actions they take under duress. If we were to discover only one soldier among the hundreds was there involuntarily, I would personally take a stand for their life.”

  Several delegates murmured their agreement and Ellie let out the breath she was holding.

  “Hang on a moment,” she said as the pieces of a plan began falling into place in her mind. “What if instead of allowing them to return, we guided them to a secured location on Sonna?”

  “War prisoners?” Lyett asked and Ellie shrugged.

  “If they’re resistant, perhaps, but I think the larger numbers would more likely be refugees. I would
happily volunteer to be a part of the ground recovery and acclimation team necessary for this to work.”

  “It is not protocol for members of the Korghetian royal family to engage in infantry level battle,” Gevandar stated with an imploring glance toward Isaverlline.

  “Perhaps not, but civil service is a requirement of every Eidyn once they come of age, regardless of station, is it not?” She turned a raised eyebrow towards Ka’griannas, who pulsed the briefest show of amusement.

  “Eidyn Master speaks the truth,” he said with a note of pride. “I am grateful for her insight and will retract my initial plan and replace it with hers. Should the assembly find it agreeable, we shall send a team to disable the battleships, bringing them safely to a designated sanctuary. There, everyone aboard will be assessed on an individual basis. I shall await a decision.” His eyes found Gevandar’s and locked on, reminding him that he was required to follow the correct protocol for putting into action any plan against the enemy.

  “The Ghowrn Alliance of Sovereign Worlds Leadership Assembly will now decide on the plan set forth by Ka’griannas of T’al Eidyn.”

  Without a second thought, Ellie pressed the affirmative button on the device in front of her and looked around the table with impatience. Ka’griannas, of course, voted for his plan, as had both elected Sonnans. Queen Romana, however, voted against the plan, as had Tevoni, a young Korghetian who immediately looked to Gevandar for approval after casting his vote. Fresson, the other elected Korghetian seemed uncertain, but ultimately voted against the plan. Isaverlline also hesitated for several heartbeats before voting affirmative with a small but proud smile at her daughter.

  Ellie noticed that Gevandar held back his own vote to the very end. The frown lines on his forehead increased with every positive vote cast. The majority had already voted in favor before Gevandar finally logged a yes, barely suppressing a sour look before doing so.

  Coward, Ellie thought darkly as the prince gave her a smug smile.

  “Very well,” he said as the results were logged. “Let it be known that I too volunteer my services for the ground boarding party.”

  “Your offer is noted and will be considered,” Ka’griannas said with a curt nod. His stiff smile was enough of a dismissal to keep Ellie from having a sudden panic attack. The only reason she could think of for Gevandar to participate was to keep an eye on her.

  By the time the meeting ended, Ellie felt as if she would explode with pent up rage. She moved as swiftly as possible, dodging both her mother and Gevandar as she slipped from the castle. Outside, the streets were bustling with evening traffic, which only added to her distress as she tried to navigate around people who were moving at much too leisurely a pace for her liking.

  Her first instinct was to run, but she knew that would create an easy to follow pulse trail. Instead, she headed for the transport station and hopped the first train that pulled up to the platform without a care as to where it was headed. The transport, at least, was a small comfort, reminding Ellie in many ways of the subterranean trains of New York and London, though far more efficient, and if she were to be honest, far more pleasant.

  After a couple of stops, Ellie found herself in a sprawling agricultural community, which suited her needs perfectly as there would be many lifts to the surface for farm workers. The residential and marketplace portions of the community were like all others on Korghetia, underground, though it wasn’t nearly as oppressive as the polar region of the capital. For one thing, there was natural light that filtered down through the greenhouse-like atrium of the market.

  That alone was strange. It had been nearing the middle of the night when the meeting ended, yet she stood under the brilliance of the midday sun, or suns in this case. She understood, of course, that like Earth, there were different time zones, but her ability to use pulse flash to travel anywhere nearly instantaneously made it easy to forget.

  But as Ellie strolled through the bright town center, a creeping sensation came over her, darkening her mood. She turned, expecting to see the seemingly ever-present Gevandar, but paused when she saw it was Ka’griannas who followed her through the market.

  “Forgive me for sneaking up on you, Master El’iadrylline,” he said with a slight nod. “I wished only to speak to you for a moment after the meeting. Though your swift departure was quite understandable,” he added with a hint of amusement.

  “Sorry,” Ellie said with a blush. “I suppose my primitive upbringing has made me a bit rude.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” he said with a genuine smile. “Earth may be young and remote, but age is irrelevant. She progresses at a much faster pace than even we, the eldest civilization of the galaxy. I expect enlightenment to come sooner than many would imagine.”

  “Funny, isn’t it?” Ellie said with a snort, grateful that Ka’griannas spoke with respect about the only home she’d previously known. “You say we’ve just begun but on Earth there are a good many who claim the end looms ever closer.”

  “The end is always another beginning, Master El’iadrylline.”

  “Please, I’d prefer to be called Ellie,” she replied with a wince. “That’s another thing I’m not used to. And I apologize, we’ve not formally met before. Ka’griannas, is it not?”

  “Indeed,” he said with another smile. “And you, Ellie, may call me Gri if it suits.”

  “Sure thing, Gri. So…” She looked around with a grimace as the two appeared to be drawing a crowd. “I was planning a trip to the surface to blow off some steam. Would you like to join me?”

  “I’ll leave you to your evening exercise in a moment,” Gri said with a chuckle. “I merely wished to thank you for your suggestion. That I didn’t consider offering asylum to those aboard the battleships was an oversight on my part. I look forward to planning our strategy soon.”

  “Thank you,” Ellie said with a smile, but frowned as she remembered Gevandar’s assertion that he wished to take part in whatever was planned. “Gevandar…”

  “Do not worry, Ellie. You are not alone in your opposition to his use of force, as you discovered this evening. I had already twice informed Gevandar that the council was not in the business of declaring war. We shall politely decline his offer for assistance.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “I will take my leave, Lady El’iadrylline,” Gri said with a sweeping bow for the benefit of those who gawked at the impromptu meeting of world leaders amidst the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. “May you find your mind at ease.”

  With another nod, he turned back in the direction of the train platforms. Ellie stood in thought for just a moment over his last words before taking off in the opposite direction, in search of the lift to the surface.

  Chapter 4

  Ellie picked at her breakfast, aware that Julian watched her intently, despite pretending to be caught up in whatever he was reading on the screen in his lap. They had a lot to discuss, especially now that she’d volunteered the two of them for a military mission. The prospect of avoiding war and rescuing captive soldiers from slavery was one that gave her hope and Ellie was all too ready to begin planning, but memories of her mother’s visit the day before left her silent and brooding.

  There was nothing Isaverlline or anyone else could have said to convince her that marrying Gevandar served any positive purpose. It was empty symbolism at best. In Ellie’s opinion, there was no stronger strategic alliance than squaring off against a common enemy. They could talk solidifying political relationships after the war was won.

  If the war was won.

  “Am I to assume your plans today include searching the woods for a witch’s cabin?”

  Julian gave Ellie a teasing smile and indicated the plate in front of her, now covered with small bits of pastry she’d absently shredded as her mind wandered.

  “Sorry,” she said in an embarrassed whisper as she pushed the plate away.

  “Ka’griannas was kind enough to forward me the minutes of last night’s meetin
g.” Julian closed the small computer and set it aside. “If I am reading this correctly, the council swiftly shut down Gevandar’s attempts to have the Kyroibi removed and you put forth a plan of action that will go far towards swaying the Alliance into benevolent resistance. Yet your discomfort is palpable.” He reached across the small table, taking her hand in his. “What are you afraid to share with me, El’iadrylline?”

  Ellie mentally squirmed. She hadn’t tried to disguise the fact that she was upset, so there was no point in lying, but still she found it difficult to speak.

  “Yesterday, when Mom asked for a moment alone, she told me…” She broke off, disgusted as her worry quickly turned into anger in remembering her mother’s casual attitude. “She seems to think she can force me into an arranged marriage.”

  “I take it Isaverlline feels Prince Gevandar would be a suitable candidate?”

  Ellie simply nodded with a strangled growl of frustration. The idea, which had seemed preposterous before the meeting, now felt like something out of a nightmare.

  “Politically, your mother’s motive is sound.”

  “What?” Ellie pulled her hand from Julian’s and stood, nearly tripping over her chair as she tried to physically flee the dark feeling that welled up inside. “How can you even say that?”

  “I said politically,” Julian clarified. “In times of crisis, a symbolic partnership between allies has generally proven beneficial in providing a measure of hope to the oppressed. This is just as true on Earth as it is elsewhere in the galaxy. However, I agree that Isaverlline could have used a little more tact and compassion when presenting her suggestion.”

  “Tact?” Ellie scoffed. “Julian, she didn’t merely suggest I play nice with the guy. She literally told me she was arranging my marriage to an egotistical maniac who thinks of you as nothing more than a weapon that I am to release upon the Huptsovian Empire with no regard for innocent bloodshed. What’s worse, she had the audacity to tell me that I could keep you as a… as…” She struggled to say aloud that which she found completely distasteful. “…as a companion, so to speak, provided I did so in secret! Her disrespect for both my feelings and yours is completely unacceptable.”