

The Ghosts of the Past

# Laurel A. Rockefeller

SMASHWORDS EDITION

The Ghosts of the Past is a work of fiction by Laurel A. Rockefeller set on the planet Beinan. All characters are works of fiction without direct reference to any real person, living or dead. While inspired in part by the real-life challenges faced by historical persons, any names or characteristics similar to any person, past, present, or future, is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 Laurel A. Rockefeller

Cover art by Laurel A. Rockefeller

There's more to the Peers of Beinan Series than the three principle novels! Discover the backstory behind Central Nan-li Healing Center in "The Poisoned Ground" and its extended version "The Poisoned Ground and the Healer Consort."

The history of planet Beinan and evolution of Beinarian society is yours to explore in "The Complete Data Files."

Listen to original music from The Ghosts of the Past when you visit www.laurelarockefeller.co.uk

Love this book? Share the love of this book and the Peers of Beinan Series by kindly reviewing this book on your blog, website, and on major retailer websites. Your review not only offers this author your feedback for improvement of this book series, but helps other people find this book so they can enjoy it as well. Only a few sentences and a few minutes of your time is all it takes to share the love with those who want to enjoy it too.

### Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One: The Mystery of Keelia and Devon's Sacrifice

Chapter Two: Cathryn's Shrewd Seduction

Chapter Three: Journey to Nan-li

Chapter Four: A Stalled Investigation

Chapter Five: Lady Elita

Chapter Six: Choire Ar Cerridwen

Chapter Seven: Ghosts of the Past

Chapter Eight: Kendric's Lament

Chapter Nine: Ascent of Queen Constance

Chapter Ten: Birth of Princess Anyu

Chapter Eleven: Foreboding Dreams

Chapter Twelve: Janus' Long Awaited Coup

Epilogue

About the Series

# Prologue

"Computer, begin recording and transmit to coordinates 23978 by 29458 by 5492," commanded Queen Anyu.

"Confirmed," replied the computer.

"This is Anyu, Queen of Beinan, transmitting to my friends and allies across the known universe. Four beinors have past here on Beinan since my last transmission concerning the history of my people and the "Great Succession Crisis" faced from BE 6326 to BE 6328 by my ancestors, Princess Anlei and her husband, Lord Prince Corann. Following the betrothal of their infant son, the future King Lyr IV, to Lady Eleanor of House Xing-li in BE 6329, both Anlei and Corann retired to Bira Hecen. There, they spent the rest of their lives serving our people in Bira Hecen's temples with their daughters Abigail and Elena, and their second son, Londthol, born in BE 6398.

"Princess Anlei, the one-time atheist, grew spiritually and personally through the Great Succession Crisis until she, of her own free will, took vows as a priestess of house Miyoo. Not long after, in BE 6380, Anlei succeeded her grandmother, Princess Consort Wehe, as High Priestess of Beinan. Ten beinors later, Lord Knight Corann became the first high priest of Beinan since completion of the Great Migration. Both presided over their elder son's wedding and served as King Lyr IV's and Queen Eleanor's closest confidants.

"As the yen-ars passed, Corann's premonitions proved prophetic, though few of us who knew about his visions realized it at the time. Half a planet away, in Xi-Nan Fang, the exiled Janus, his siblings, and descendants plotted their revenge, a revenge that has cost Beinan more than perhaps any of us will ever know. Cursed with the brown eye syndrome that steals the sight of all exposed for long periods of time to argun ore and argene, Janus and his relatives grew in their hatred – until it consumed us all. At first it started out as a few isolated incidents of violence. That would change with the yen-ars.

"As with all such broad-scoped violence, their hate would take unintended lives and grow unintended heroes to combat them. The greatest of these heroes were Elendir of House Ten-Ar and his son, Corann...."

#  Chapter One: The Mystery of Keelia and Devon's Sacrifice

"This is...An-Men Ten-Ar. The next stop is...An-Men gate historical monument" flashed the indicator signs all over and across the light rail cars following an almost invisible monorail along the streets of the capital city of Hejing. On the outside of the twelve light rail cars making up this particular train flashed the train line indicator, "An-Men Xi Fang." As the light rail slowed to its stop called An-Men Ten-Ar, a well-dressed House Ten-Ar professional wearing a blue doublet over a green kirtle and trousers emerged from the fourth car, along with a few dozen other commuters, the emblem of Beinarian healers embroidered on his doublet. As the gentleman stepped off the light rail train car he was on, his grey eyes scanned the over 5000 yen-ar old streets for the familiar street markers that indicated his position. After a few seconds, the gentleman, Lord Healer Devon of House Ten-Ar, found his bearings and began to walk 0.578 li 里 west and 0.687 li 里 south of the light rail station. After a few xiao-shir, he reached his destination, a tall, gleaming pale blue granite-like building complex marked "An-Men Ten-Ar Healing centre."

Looking at his watch, Lord Devon hastened into the building and checked with the front information desk located 0.0127 li 里 from the entrance. At the desk sat a blue and green gowned clerk, "Welcome to An-Men Ten-Ar. How may I help you, Lord Healer?"

"Lord Healer Devon of House Ten-Ar...I'm looking for my wife, Lady Healer Keelia of House Ten-Ar..." requested Lord Devon.

The clerk typed in the information provided quickly, "Of course. You are assigned to Central Nan-li in Nan-li Xi-Nan Fang, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," he replied, distracted and worried.

The clerk smiled, "Lady Healer Keelia is in chamber 438, second floor."

"Thank you," hastened Devon, heading down the hall at a fast pace.

"Keelia, are you okay?" cried Devon as he rushed into chamber 438; his wife's healing centre room. Lady Keelia lay in bed, her belly swollen.

A small crib stood a 16.29 cun 寸 from her bed. Propping herself up, she looked at her husband, and then picked up the new-born in the crib. The child began to wail as she picked him up. "Hush. Hush. Don't cry little one," soothed Lady Keelia as she held the child to her bosom. Her delivery of the tiny infant had been eased by her waiting until the age of 120 to give birth to her son three shir-ors ago, but he was starting out life as a fussy baby.

"I left the healing centre as soon as I could..." explained Devon, suddenly tongue-tied at the sight of his son.

Keelia looked up at him, "I know; Lady Abbess Cara sent me word as soon as the healing centre notified her you were on your way back to Dong-Bei. I was worried you might not make it back. The news reports have indicated the situation down there is...tenuous."

"Very _tenuous_ ," he replied, his eyes mostly on his son. Smiling, Keelia passed the infant to his father. Devon held his son to his chest and bounced gently, trying to sooth him, "There, there, my little one...you're okay. Everything is fine now," Slowly, the baby calmed, resting his head against his father, "See, that was not so hard. You're a perfect nobleman already."

"You have a way with babies, my love," smiled Keelia.

"As many of them as I see at Central Nan-li, you would hope I would be good with children. Oh, Darling the suffering I saw this beinor."

"Where were you assigned this beinor, Devon?"

"Emergency; for the twelfth beinor in a row. I find it hard to believe that in a society that claims to be so civilized and so superior compared to the worlds we trade with that we would still be so capable of the brutality of our ancestors. I fear things will continue to get worse unless we resolve these differences of wealth and power across the houses," answered Devon.

"How bad is the violence now? The news said it's been escalating for the last twenty beinors?" asked Keelia.

"The violence has worsened with each beinor and each yen-ar in the larger cities of Xi-Nan Fang, including Nan-li. If I did not know better, I would say the ancient feuds between houses were re-opened down there. I cannot believe the blood and mutilations I'm seeing as I try to help people at that healing centre," Lord Devon began to shake as memories of his last shift filled his mind.

"Can't the healing centre give you any leave to help now that we have little Elendir? You know it could be several beinors before I'm fully recovered from the delivery."

Devon shook his head in frustration, "I want to, sweetheart, but I just cannot see them giving me any time off. I know I could choose to help at any healing centre or clinic on Beinan, but Xi-Nan Fang is where the need for a skilled healer is greatest. They are really suffering down there. They are angry, frustrated, and feel abandoned by our government. Many of them are house Ana, house Croften, and even house Slabi. I feel their hearts; their grievances are valid. The genetic degeneration from thousands of yen-ars of mining argun to create argene has taken its toll."

"I've seen patients who worked ten, maybe thirty yen-ars in the mines; I cannot imagine someone working longer there. The cost to their longevity and overall health is too great," added Keelia. "You've seen how long the brown eye syndrome lasts, how the only way for these poor people to regain most of their sight is to leave Beinan forever; the upper atmosphere changes our colour spectrum too much. You simply cannot see with only tri-chromatic vision."

"And yet we are willing as a society to tolerate such obvious dangers...in the name of 'progress.' Progress, they say. If we continue on this path, I fear something even more horrible than the disabling side effects of mining on the residents of Xi-Nan Fang will sweep our society," warned Devon.

"Let us pray to the goddesses that such terror never comes," affirmed Lady Keelia.

"Elendir! Come here, Elendir," called Lady Keelia as she walked into the living room of their spacious, middle-class apartment on the twenty-fifth floor of their thirty story apartment building in the Beinarian capital of Hejing, 5.3489 li 里 west of the palace. As Elendir ambled up to his mother's side, Keelia sat into a nearby loveseat to give Elendir a better view of the small bundle she held, wrapped in a blue-lavender blanket. Crawling onto the narrow couch, Elendir peered into the bundle to see his three beinor-old baby sister, Althea. As Elendir eyed the infant with both fear and curiosity, Althea yawned widely with a coo. Keelia smiled, "Elendir, this is your little sister, Althea. Isn't she pretty?" As she smiled encouragingly at Elendir, the soreness of her delivery sent a pang of pain through her body. She tensed with pain. Maybe she should have stayed a little longer in the healing centre to recover rather than discharging early.

"Momma?" asked Elendir.

"I'm okay, Elendir. Don't worry. Just a little sore right now. Everything is okay. Don't worry, my little Elendir. Daddy will be home from the healing centre soon."

Exhausted from her delivery of little Althea, Keelia put down both Elendir and Althea into their respective beds for a nap, then laid down herself for some badly needed recovery sleep for a shir-or. At shir-or 9.50, her planetary broadcasting receiver turned on as programmed, "And now breaking news from the city of Nan-li in Xi-Nan Fang. There has been an explosion at Central Nan-li healing centre, the charity healing centre founded by a co-operation between houses Ana and Miyoo. Repeat, there has been an explosion at Central Nan-li Healing Centre in Nan-li Xi-Nan Fang. House Ana security is not releasing exact numbers of dead or injured, but we have been told that there were two bombs detonated, one in the emergency ward and the other in the surgical recovery wing of the healing centre. As we receive more information, we will release it to you, live, here on the Beinarian Central Broadcasting Network." As the journalist reported the disaster, both her face and voice conveyed her utter shock at the bombing.

Keelia, however, exhausted by her need to recover from child birth, did not stir during the broadcast. She slept another 730 xiao-shirs before waking and hearing the news broadcast, "And now, more information on the continuing tragedy in Nan-li in Xi-Nan Fang. Authorities are reporting over 2700 healers and patients dead at the healing centre with some emergency responders telling us that as many as 6000 out of the 9000 total occupants in the healing centre – patients, healers, support personal, even maintenance staff are likely dead or wounded. We will, of course, report more exact numbers of dead and injured as we receive more information. We can, at this xiao-shir confirm one casualty: Lord Healer Devon of house Ten-Ar, we are told, was the healer in chief of the emergency ward. He was nearest to the bomb that has destroyed the emergency ward where he was, reportedly, tending a patient at the time of the explosion. Lord Healer Devon is survived by his wife, Lady Healer Keelia, and their two children." As the journalist reported about Devon, a holo-image of the healer flashed on the screen next to the journalist. Keelia's face turned white as she realized the journalist was talking about none other than HER Devon, HER husband—not someone else. As she began to process the news, tears flooded her face.

Elendir, a mere three yen-ars twenty-one beinors old, managed to climb over the protective wall on his bed in the children's room. Suddenly afraid, he ran up to his mother. Keelia scolded her son gently, "Elendir. How did you get out of there?"

"Mamma, make daddy come home."

Keelia's eyes widened as she realized that Elendir had heard and understood the planet-wide news broadcast about the bombing, "Momma wants to Elendir. Momma wants daddy home too."

"Where's daddy, Momma?"

"He's now on a long journey to a new family in a new place, little one.' answered Keelia, her tears uncontrollable despite her best efforts to look strong for her son.

Despite her best efforts, Lady Keelia struggled as a widow and mother. Twenty-five beinors after the blasts that killed her husband, she journeyed with her children to the Ten-Ar monastery and headquarters to all house Ten-Ar located three li 里 from the town of Granta, two point eight nine shir-ors away from Hejing. Upon arrival, she headed to the main audience hall, carrying Althea and holding little Elendir's hand as they walked together. Upon entering the massive, stain-glassed chamber they found Lady Abbess Cara, a matrilineal descendant of the same Lady Healer Cara who had treated Lord Prince Corann in the palace healing centre in BE 6326. There was more than four hundred yen-ars between her foremother and herself, yet she looked remarkably similar to the portraits of her foremother kept by each successive generation of her family. She was as fair and as beautiful as the Lady Cara Lord Prince Corann had known. As Keelia reached the front of the hall, she knelt respectively to her mentor, "Good health and prosperity to you, Abbess of Ten-Ar."

"Good health and prosperity to you, Lady Keelia, Healer of Ten-Ar," answered Lady Cara, motioning Lady Keelia to rise. "We have been worried about you, fearing you were among the un-named lost in Nan-li. I am relieved to see you still of this realm of existence, Lady Keelia...but I grieve for your loss and for the burden placed upon by it. How old is your baby now?"

"Twenty-nine beinors, my lady."

"And your son?"

"Three yen-ars, fifty beinors. He seems to be ahead of the developmental curve a bit, if you do not mind my medical opinion."

"Medical opinions are exactly what we are trained to provide, Lady Keelia; why would I mind it now?" queried Lady Cara.

"I find myself unable to think most of the time, if I may be so honest. Althea needs so much and so does Elendir; I find myself at a loss to care properly for both of them without my husband. I am not handling the loss as well as I have seen others do," disclosed Keelia.

"The loss of so many of our numbers is more than I think anyone can cope with effectively. If I did not know better, I would think that they were killed in some...act of terrorism against our house in particular. Whoever it was knew that house Ten-Ar preferentially sends healers to charity healing centres like Central Nan-li Healing Centre to serve—which is why most of the healers and healers-in-training who perished in the blasts were house Ten-Ar. No other single house lost so many. The patients were from houses Cashmarie, Ana, Slabi, Croften, Skeinera, Plover, Balister, even a few from house Miyoo.

"But of the healers and healing centre staff, our house was the most devastated in the blasts; healers of Miyoo, Gurun, Slabi, and Xing-li mostly sustained variously levels of injury, few of them life-threatening. By contrast, more than half of the healers and healers-in-training killed at Central Nan-li Healing Centre were house Ten-Ar – over five hundred Ten-Arian healing professionals," updated Lady Cara.

"But WHY? Why would our house be targeted? Why kill Beinan's best healers?" trembled Lady Keelia.

"If I had to offer a guess, Lady Keelia, I would estimate that we healers are far more vulnerable to such terrorism than our knightly brothers and sisters, making we healers the best choice for one wishing to harm our house. Our knights are great and powerful defenders of justice...more than capable of not only handling such an emergency, but swiftly neutralizing those behind it. We healers have no such defences. We go and serve, helping whoever needs our knowledge. We are the other side to house Ten-Ar which gives it strength and balance."

"Yes, of course. But why target house Ten-Ar at all? To my knowledge we have not done anything to any of the other houses since the old feuds on original home world. The creation of the Great Council put an end to those – so why?" worried Lady Keelia.

"It is possible we offended another house without knowing it; but in those cases, tradition dictates that any grievances between houses be brought to the Great Council for arbitration. If this is about houses and political, then whoever it is works outside of our traditional system or is working, somehow, to undermine that system by ignoring it."

Keelia shook her head in disbelief, "Never in two hundred yen-ars would I believe I would somehow be caught up in this, affected by the events of a distant continent, a distant people's problem—unless I volunteered to go to the front lines of those problems. But the problem has come home: my husband is dead and I do not have the means to take care of my children."

"You did well to bring them here, Lady Keelia. We, as a house, are prepared to nurture them, educate them, and help them grow in whatever paths they choose. I will give you the choice right now whether to have the healers nurture your son – or the knights. He will learn self-defence if he were to begin his education even at this early yen-ar."

Keelia looked at Elendir and straightened his tunic. The boy was mentally gifted and strong in health—just like his father. Yet even for a Beinarian, Elendir was proving to be unusually bright and innovative, perhaps some sort of prodigy even, "If I give him to the knights now, will I still have my parental rights to him? Will he know me as his mother?"

Lady Cara smiled gently, "We would not have it any other way. You _are_ his mother, Keelia. The knights are merely educators and extended family to him. When he reaches the age of decision, he may elect to stay with the knights and become a squire – or choose a different life for himself. We are all family here and as a family, we will stay together—no matter what the politics of our world says."

"Then let him be fostered by the knights. Let them encourage his talents and help him in ways neither of us can foresee right now. Let him grow strong in mind, soul, and body. Let him choose the path that he desires unhindered by the choices of others," evoked Lady Keelia.

"So mote it be, Lady Keelia. Now go, rest. I will contact the healing centre in Hejing where you work and inform them of your temporary leave of absence while we get you settled – and while you decide what is best for your daughter as well."

"Blessed be, Lady Cara and thank you," bowed Lady Keelia.

"Elendir, son of Devon and Keelia of the Healers of Ten-Ar, for many yen-ars have you studied and suffered, enduring the trials set before you of mind, body, heart, and spirit. Now the journey's end has come and a choice lies before you. Do you choose to join the brotherhood of Knights of Ten-Ar – or leave for another path?"

Now sixty yen-ars old, Elendir was crimson robed in the ceremonial robes that had become customary over the last four hundred yen-ars. Sumptuary laws regarding what was appropriate to wear at one's elevation to knighthood had changed over the past four hundred yen-ars since Squire Corann's elevation to the knighthood in BE 6326. Now the crimson tunic was considered insufficient in favour of wearing either a crimson or white tunic or doublet and white trousers for men. Lady squires were expected to wear white kirtles underneath crimson bliauts made of konyn wool. Men and women both overlain their choices with heavy crimson cloaks made of a deep piled, lustrous fabric embroidered with the Ten-Ar sword at the centre back.

From his neck, Elendir suspended a pendant set with a Ten-Arian star ruby such as those worn in the circlets of healers of Ten-Ar at their elevation, a small remembrance of his mother and her great love in sending him to the knights for training when perhaps ego would have mandated he apprentice with the healers. Unlike many of his sword brothers at their elevation, Elendir chose to wear a simple white tunic for his elevation, a choice that made the star ruby in his pendant shine all the brighter.

As Elendir knelt, his mentor, Lord Knight Malvyn, placed his strong hands on Elendir's crown. But instead of focusing on the ceremony in progress, Elendir thought about his mother, Lady Keelia, with both sadness and thankfulness. He was barely ten yen-ars when Lord Knight Malvyn quietly informed him of his mother's death, the victim of another healing centre bombing, this one in the coastal city of Bira Hecen in Dong-Bei, 10,000 li 里 from Hejing. As with the bombing that killed his father when he was three yen-ars old, no one took responsibility for this act of terrorism. The bombing that took the life of his father killed a far larger number of healers of Ten-Ar without injury to healers from other houses. This bombing was different—or appeared to be different. This bombing killed one hundred fifteen healers of Ten-Ar, two hundred twenty Healers of Gurun, and fifty-eight Advocates of Slabi—not nearly the precisely-driven attack on house Ten-Ar that cost his father his life.

Still, right now, Elendir wished with all his heart that his parents could witness this elevation. Instead, the only close family left to him was his younger sister, Althea, who was, wisely, brought into formal training with the Healers of Ten-Ar when she was five yen-ars old. Lady Keelia had originally stayed at the monastery to teach medicine and to raise Althea. Ironically enough, it took more riots against the monarchy to draw Keelia out into the world again – and straight to her death.

As much as Elendir sorrowed now for his parents, he was comforted by his sister, standing 26.83 cun 寸 away from him. Smiling at Lady Althea, Elendir grasped Lord Knight Malvyn's wrists ceremoniously, "Master, hear me now before these witnesses. I choose as I have always chosen all my life: to dedicate my mind, body, heart, and soul to this house and this place. If the brotherhood will have me, I vow myself to be, now and for forevermore, sword brother and peer, a lord knight of Ten-Ar."

Lord Malvyn removed his hands from Elendir's head and anointed the centre of his brow with fragrant sacred oil, "Then in the name of the Knights of Ten-Ar and as your master, I confer on you the rank of Knight and Lord of Ten-Ar." With a nod, one of the squires knelt nearby, bearing the Ten-Arian schlager sword in a gold and silver scabbard on a strong leather belt in the bright green used for knighthood elevation. Kneeling, Lord Malvyn girt it about Lord Elendir's waist. Taking his sister's hand, Lord Knight Elendir rose, his elevation complete. He hugged his blue-lavender-clad sister before offering Lord Knight Malvyn his hands in a gesture of respect.

As he rose, a knight at last, he looked at his sister. Lady Healer Althea had grown up; at fifty-seven yen-ars, she was a vision of beauty. Her gossamer bliaut hugged her graceful, petite frame. Long blond hair flowed in waves down to her mid back. Silver eyes sparkled from her fair complexion. Blond hair was rare among Beinarians, but it suited Lady Althea well. Like most Beinarian women, her breasts were high on her body and small, well-balanced on her fine-boned frame. Her blue-lavender bliaut framed her breasts and thin figure. Flowing bell sleeves glided across her arms. Her A-line bliaut was soft, yet substantial enough for the skirt to not cling to her body as she moved. Instead, it flowed in an elegant semi-circle from her hips as she walked.

Elendir could barely believe this vision of Beinarian beauty was his own sister. As the customary reception commenced, he surveyed the other women in the room. His gaze immediately fell on Princess Cathryn, daughter of Queen Darla and Prince Consort Torr and twin sister to his closest friend, Prince Kendric. She was 55.3 cun 寸 tall, unusual for a Beinarian woman, with blue-grey eyes, very dark brown hair that appeared black to races with tri-chromatic and tetra-chromatic eyes. Princess Cathryn approached him, two finely wrought chalices in her hands, "All hail Lord Knight Elendir. Congratulations, my lord."

Elendir bowed his head respectfully, taking the chalice of fragrant wine offered to him by the princess, "Great is house Gurun for sending here such a gracious and beautiful heiress to the throne."

"I am no heiress; the Great Council never changed that ancient law rooted in the blood feuds of original home world which caused so much controversy for our mutual ancestors. No, alas, my brother stands as the sole heir to the throne, leaving me free to pursue my own designs for my life. But I have no doubt you were long aware of that," flirted Princess Cathryn.

Elendir smiled, noticing the way Cathryn used her gown and her body beneath it, to subtly seduce, "I know many things, Your Highness, in particular how you, like our foremother, High Priestess Wehe, are particularly good at using your beauty for political purposes. The question now, it would seem, is why you would care to attempt to seduce me, even a little, right now...."

Princess Cathryn took a sip from her glass, "You are even more astute than your reputation at court, Lord Knight."

Elendir flirted back at her with his eyes, "I have a reputation at court?"

"Do you seriously think that none of us in house Gurun would have monitored your progress over these yen-ars since first your father, then your mother were murdered in the service of our people? Few healers possessed greater skill or compassion for those who need help more than either of your parents. They were role models for our people, even if they never knew it themselves. You know of the strong tie our Houses have, both in blood and on the Council, how few healers across houses have greater camaraderie than between those from houses Ten-Ar and Gurun. We are more one house than two. It would, of course, be logical for my parents to choose a noble, strong, and handsome knight like you to be my consort." As Cathryn uttered the last sentence she found her breath taken away by Elendir whose strong, well-muscled frame suited her to a degree she had not noticed in her previous political flirtations. Here was a man she would truly not mind being matched to, who would no doubt suit her as a lover and companion. Suddenly, the princess realized she desired him very much.

Elendir met her eyes, "You want me to come to your bed, don't you?"

"Yes, Elendir, I do."

"How many others have there been, Your Highness? Do you take all your political interests to your chamber?"

"I have been far too politically astute to take a man to my chamber. But you...Elendir, I think I would like to...if you will have me."

"You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen – next to my sister, of course. If you are asking me now I shall not deny you, Your Highness," offered Elendir, anticipation starting to fill his voice.

Princess Cathryn whispered in his ear, "I command it."

In reply, Elendir raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, then, bowing to all around him as he navigated the crowd around him, lead the princess out of the reception...and to his chamber.

# Chapter Two: Cathryn's Shrewd Seduction

"Did I please you, Your Highness?" asked Elendir, panting and tired. In the humble bed he was assigned in his dormitory, he found that both he and Cathryn could barely fit upon it together.

Smiling, Cathryn pulled him back down to her, kissing him, "Was that your first time as well, my Elendir?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"How did it feel...?"

"Like nothing I have ever known before; I am starting to wonder why I waited so long to bed someone."

"Politics controls what I may do, of course, but not right now though I will have to ask my parents about assigning you to the palace so you can do that much more often."

"You tempt me, Cathryn; I do want more after my body recovers from the last shir-or."

"Your body tempts me; I want more. Oh so much more, a lifetime of enjoying you."

"You would choose me as your consort?"

"I may flirt incessantly to get what I want, but it is you I desire, Elendir. Be, if not my husband, then my lover; don't stop enjoying me or letting me enjoy you as often as possible. Now I've been with you I cannot imagine being with anyone else."

"You and I are both past the age of consent, I realize that. But for all the pleasure I admit this has given me...." Elendir paused to consider his words. Did he enjoy bedding her? Very much. Did he want more? He was a young adult with the same passionate instincts of his age, his hormones raging, the need for passionate release often distracting him from his duties? But he was also an orphan, the son of two healers both killed by terrorists. In his fatigue and euphoria, his delight of her naked body, the training he received and his nightmares about his parents still resonated. "...Cathryn, I do want you, I do want to be in your bed in the palace, to sire on you the royal children I can tell you crave of me, oh how I want what you want." Cathryn kissed him. Instinctively he returned her kiss and caress, and found himself swept up in another way of passion.

For the shir-or, he surrendered to her and let her have all she wished of him. She would need of him many times over the next seven shir-ors, until the light of dawn the next beinor. Whether Elendir liked it or not in his heart, his body, and the princess, won out this time. He was hers.

Dawn broke over the palace in Hejing. Elendir found himself one more waking up in Princess Cathryn's chamber, as he had for the better part of the last twenty-nine beinors, the pale blue curtains of his bed screening out the morning light. Beside him, the naked Cathryn dosed comfortably. Somehow, after twenty-nine beinors of frequent lovemaking, he had pleased her once more. Sitting up and looking down upon her, he noticed her loveliness, the way her face seemed to caress her pillow. Elendir stroked her hair casually; glad that she could sleep past dawn.

Elendir could not. Too many yen-ars of training to become a knight had disciplined mind, body, and soul only too well. Conditioned by the strict Ten-Ar training, both mind and body urged him to get out of bed in favour of the meditative form of martial arts that had become so effortless to him after all these yen-ars. With disciplined practice, Elendir slid out of the bed and dressed himself. Putting on the light shoes Cathryn called slippers but in fact were used by Ten-Arians for their meditative martial arts, Elendir opened the double doors dividing her chamber from her private garden and slithered into the garden. Walking along a smooth, stony path, he headed for a small courtyard circled with benches, a small, formal fountain resting just off the centre square, gurgling with green water-like liquid that foamed lavender.

Reaching his usual spot near the fountain, Elendir set his feet parallel to his shoulders and stretched both arms into an arc above his head, slicing them downward, palms facing his feet gracefully in the Ten-Arian gesture of respect. Elendir slid his left leg downward, bending his right knee about halfway, slicing his arms through many arcs and occasionally feather-touching the ground. With rapid kicks, Elendir leapt into the air, seemingly attacking the fountain with his acrobatics. With sometimes extremely slow, then suddenly fast movements and with a persistently deep breath and calm demeanour, he worked his way through the more than fifty traditional martial arts forms he had studied since almost the yen-ar his mother brought him to the monastery for training, practicing the strong discipline of body and singular concentration the knights of Ten-Ar were renown for. For a full shir-or he worked, sometimes feverishly, his muscles rippling under his tunic. A familiar pain of fatigue started to grip muscles in every part of his body, yet the workout continued. This pain reminded him of who he really was, a lord knight of Ten-Ar and helped him forget what he had become since his elevation—the sexual toy of their majesties' only daughter.

Finally, as the Beinarian sun rose higher in the sky enough to cast a shadow over his body, Elendir was forced to stop for a rest. A full shir-or and one half had passed. He had pushed his body to its full limit. It felt good, good to feel like a knight of Ten-Ar. Sweat dripped from his face. He knelt at the fountain, cupping his hands. Dipping his hands into the water-like liquid, he splashed the liquid over his head, neck, and shoulders, soaking the upper part of his tunic in the process and washing away the perspiration. Feeling a bit winded, Elendir sat down on one of the wooden benches closest to him, his hands instinctively positioning onto his knees for meditation. For the next 645 xiao-shirs he let his mind wander and drift, sweeping away his worries in the tranquillity. A fabku chirped. After a xiao-shir or two, she bobbed and hopped, flying down to the bench besides Elendir, her soft chirp evolving into a sweet gurgling melody. Elendir opened his eyes, looked at the little bird, and smiled at the bird.

Finally, Elendir rose, returning down the path he took to the courtyard. Princess Cathryn had finally risen herself. Her political droid, ZC8, hovered around her, the droid's arms extended to her gown which she was lacing expertly in back. Princess Cathryn smiled as Elendir emerged from the garden, "You got up early."

Elendir bowed to Cathryn slightly, "Maintaining my Ten-Arian discipline, Your Highness. Old habits die hard and these I think I rightfully should retain. I am a son of Ten-Ar, after all."

Cathryn adjusted her low-necklined gown around her bosom to fit more comfortably, "That you are – lucky for me." The flash in her eyes conveyed both her appreciation for Elendir physically – and her desire to be pleased again by him.

Elendir caressed her waist, "I am glad you are so well pleased, Your Highness. It is my pleasure to serve you anyway that I may."

Cathryn kissed him, "Your service pleases me well, Elendir. In all the yen-ars of my life, I never believed anyone could please me so well. Men use women of such bloodlines as I have. It is only right that the tables should be turned."

"I never used you, Your Highness, only given freely to you that part of me which you clearly yearn for and desire. Why you would want me over so many better matches for you politically is actually beyond my imagination," clarified Elendir.

"Perhaps I want more than politics. Your physique, the many yen-ars of Ten-Arian discipline has sculpted your body into something far superior to anything I have observed in anyone else. In the face of such...exquisite chiseling, who cares about politics?" flirted the princess, her hands caressing Elendir seductively.

"Then you disagree with our mutual ancestors Anlei and Corann who put the good of Beinan above such carnal considerations?" inquired Elendir, trying very hard to resist the temptations of her caresses.

"They would have served Beinan far better by giving house Xing-li control, instead of compromising and letting the Gurun dynasty continue through political marriage. House Gurun has reigned long enough. Let others take the burden of government – and its limitations on who one may bed," evoked Cathryn.

"With respect, Your Highness, my life is about service to Beinan, as was the lives of both my parents. I care very much what happens on our world and across its continents. My parents both died because they felt that mercy and compassion must extend to all who live in the universe, not just to the elite. They both could have stayed safe, stayed where there was no danger to their lives, healed the rich and politically powerful...Abka Biya knows with our bloodline, that choice was offered to them many times," With the thought of his parents, almost against his will, Elendir's lingering grief filled him for a xiao-shir, breaking through in his voice.

"Then they did you a disservice by choosing to die. They abandoned you with their so-called service to others. Why do you cling to them?"

Disbelief filled Elendir's eyes, "Why do you not? They were the best of our society, the most kind, and the most generous."

"Generosity is pointless if it kills you. What good is anyone to anyone if you put yourself where you are likely to get killed?" reasoned Princess Cathryn.

"Our world is changing, Cathryn. I fear for you, for what I am hearing. In a changing world, no place is truly safe. All we can do with our lives is to give of ourselves with goodness, kindness, and self-sacrifice. Our personal desires, even for life, can never take priority over the good of our world."

"You are here because of my desires, Elendir. The comforts you enjoy, the luxuries, these are all my gifts – as are my carnal favours. You have no reason to complain," asserted Cathryn, sliding Elendir's hand under her gown to caress her thigh.

Elendir felt his body respond to the feel of her, a touch meant to fully seduce him into enjoying her in bed as a way of ending the conversation. She knew what she was doing. Between the provocative dress and the touch, his overwhelming physical instinct was to merge with her carnally, to forget everything in the pleasure of her body.

Elendir gave in, undoing her dress and laying her on the bed. Against the will of his mind, he found himself giving her exactly what she wanted until, in release, he collapsed once more.

Three xiao-shirs after he finished his feelings about her words set in. What was he doing? Was he no more than simply a slave to her body, her carnal lusts? She provoked him, as she always did, and he kept yielding, as if he had no choice in the matter. Every single time she tried the slightest of seductions, he gave in, without any precautions against conceiving a child in the process. What did she want of him? Was it truly what it appeared to be on the surface...simple lust for him over his well-muscled physique?

No, there had to be more to this. She was far more politically astute than she was letting on right now as she purred on the bed from the latest round of physical merging. Panting, Elendir disengaged himself from her and dressed, not bothering to look at her. Something was amiss. He was a knight of Ten-Ar...the mystery needed to be solved, if only as a means of finding a pathway back to his honour. Still ignoring Cathryn, Elendir put on his regular shoes, and then searched the dresser where he kept his possessions in her chamber. In a xiao-shir, he found his sword belt and Ten-Arian schlager sword and fastened them around his waist. A plan ensued regarding what to do next. Still tired from both his workout and the romp with the princess, he fixed his will on ending his role in whatever Princess Cathryn was really up to.

While Princess Cathryn played, Prince Kendric worked, adorned in a white konyn wool tunic and embroidered in gold with House Gurun's diamond-like heraldry. As the only male child of Queen Darla and Prince Consort Torr, Kendric lived in the heir-apparent's chambers, complete with its offices. Kendric studied reports that were scattered across his desk. Not only was Beinan facing numerous issues with violence across three continents, but the reports indicated several diplomatic issues with the ambassadors from Beinan's interstellar neighbours. Worry filled Kendric as he read how was Beinan going to get through all these problems at once?

Frustrated, Kendric paced his office. Fidgeting, he pressed three small buttons on the side of a picture frame hung on the far wall of his office. A small, narrow door running floor to ceiling appeared, opening. Prince Kendric glided through the passage, walking 0.03 li. Inside was shrine-like alcove. In the dim light, Prince Kendric saw his object of reverence: a tawny, heavily carved bow nearly eleven thousand yen-ars old. This was the ancestral bow carried by King Malvyn of House Balister and worn during his coronation in OW 48780. This was the bow Lord Bevin had inherited as Malvyn's descendant.

Though leadership for house Balister had passed to another line following the assassination of King Malvyn's son, King Tristan The Just, in BE 50, Tristan's descendants, like Lord Bevin, retained right of inheritance to the bow. From Bevin to his grandson, King Lyr IV passed the Bow of Balister as it came to be known. It was one of the few relics of original world still kept by the royal family of house Gurun, but a secret relic. Bevin's knighthood removed his bloodline from common knowledge; as far as the public was aware, Bevin was born house Ten-Ar. Yet a few—Queen Darla and her son, Prince Kendric, included– knew the truth. The Bow of Balister was kept as a powerful reminder of Beinarian history way off in another galaxy, of where they came from and the power of hard work in shaping the future of generations to come.

Prince Kendric touched the ancient wood, wood grown on another world, bowed, then headed back to his office, centred.

The doorbell chimed. Kendric looked up towards the door, "Come."

The door opened. Elendir stepped in, bowing to Kendric, "Your Highness, may I speak with you?"

Kendric rose and greeted Elendir with the Ten-Ar salute of respect, "Of course. You are my sister's suitor, Elendir...are you not?"

Elendir rolled his eyes at the description, however politely addressed as it was, "Suitor is probably not the most accurate word, Your Highness. Princess Cathryn commands everything and yields – nothing."

Prince Kendric raised his brow, "Does she? Well I long suspected someday it might come to that. She has used her _beauty_ to obtain her desires for quite some time."

"Your Highness, if I may speak freely, Princess Cathryn is used to getting what she wants – even if it is often for the wrong reasons."

"Has she wronged you, Lord Knight?" asked Kendric soberly.

"...in more ways than I can count. She has wronged herself, her family and Beinan," answered Elendir, his eyes flitting to and from the prince.

Prince Kendric rose and embraced Elendir, "Goddesses can only know what her selfish ways have put you through."

"She is up to something, Your Highness. I do not know what, but I think her...involvement with me has more to do with some other plan of hers than it does with me. She's...used her physical skills to exploit a part of me that I did not know was a weakness."

"We all have vulnerabilities, Elendir; even if we pretend we do not. Sex can be a powerful tool in the hands of the politician. It is a power some would assert over others...to their detriment, as I can see in your eyes it has been used to yours," expressed Kendric.

"I have to leave the palace, Your Highness, this beinor. I cannot let her keep doing this to me. I suspect there will be some fallout for making this choice...but I must restore my honour," affirmed Elendir.

"Where will you go, my friend?"

Elendir paused to consider, "Xi-Nan Fang, to the ruins of the healing centre where my father was murdered. I know the official story is that it was a random act of terrorism, but long have I suspected there was something else behind it. I need answers, Kendric."

Kendric considered Elendir's choice. It was logical, particularly for a knight of Ten-Ar. "Then answers you must go find. I will deal with Cathryn on your behalf; tell her that as crown prince, I sent you on a mission to Xi-Nan Fang. The violence down there has gone on long enough. It is time someone well trained dealt with it."

"Then I have your blessing, Your Highness?"

"More than that, I officially command you to go and investigate these outbreaks of violence across our planet. Do not cease until you have solved the mystery of who, what, and why is behind all of this. My sister's carnal interests are irrelevant. Go now, and serve Beinan with all your wit and all your flesh," commanded Prince Kendric with the voice of a sovereign king.

Elendir bowed deeply, "As you wish, Sire."

Half a shir-or passed. As soon as the princess left her chamber to dine with her family for the mid-beinor meal, Lord Knight Elendir opened the valise he had stored under the princess's bed. Carefully folding his clothes and neatly packing them inside, the chamber doors opened unexpectedly. Startled, Elendir drew his great Ten-Arian schlager sword by 2.13 cun 寸. A well-dressed fine lady with blond hair emerged, her gown billowing in the breeze that flowed from Princess Cathryn's garden. Elendir let go of his sword hilt to greet her with a hug, "Althea."

"Elendir," smiled Lady Althea, embracing her brother. "I came as soon as I heard."

"...as soon as you heard what?" inquired Elendir.

"That you are leaving Hejing to go down there, to Xi Nan Fang..." answered Althea, worry on her face.

"What makes you think I'm leaving at all?" eluded Elendir.

"Well for one, you are packing – quickly. Grown tired of courting the princess so soon?"

"COURTING! What makes you think any of this has in any way resembled a courtship, Althea? Cathryn has done nothing but divert me from the plans I made for myself yen-ars before my elevation to knighthood. She's smarter than she seems to be, Althea, and much more willing to use her feminine charms to get what she wants than I think anyone, especially her parents, dares to contemplate. She has absolutely no qualms about using her body for political gain – or any other sort of gain for that matter. There was no courtship, my sister, only exploitation by her for goddesses only knows what ends. Before I met her, dear dear Althea, I had my dignity, my honour. If ever I hope to regain either, I must leave this place, for the honour of Ten-Ar, if nothing else. No knight, no person for that matter, should ever be someone else's toy...." Anger welled up in Elendir's voice at the way Cathryn had played him. No more. Not again.

Lady Althea put her arm around Elendir's shoulders, "...I know. I'm here at Prince Kendric's command. He agrees with you on all counts, save one."

"The part about going to Xi Nan Fang?"

"Yes. Why must you go there of all places in the universe? Why not return to the monastery? You could be a formidable teacher, Elendir. House Ten-Ar needs you."

"I will return there, I promise, but not now, not yet. Since our parents perished I have found that little to no investigation has ever been conducted regarding the terrorist attacks that killed them – either time. Our legal code requires investigation, Althea. I've studied the laws, done the research. No...something _odd_ has been happening down there, something completely out of character for our civilization. But how can we call ourselves 'civilized' if we do not uphold the codes of law that made us what we allege to others that we are? Once, maybe, we were a society that set fair laws and enforced true justice for members of all houses...but now? Where is the justice for those murdered in these terrorist attacks? If people die and we just pretend nothing happened, how can their souls rest enough to move into the next incarnation? As long as we ignore the problem, I fear their souls will be trapped forever at the moment of their deaths. Our parents deserve better, Althea," asserted Elendir.

"But Elendir it's dangerous. I do not want to lose you. You are all the family I have left," bellowed Althea.

Elendir clasped his sister in a tight embrace, "I know. But Althea I have to try. I am a knight of Ten-Ar among the best trained in martial arts of any in Beinan. I learned much from my mentors; now it is time I test myself, test that knowledge in real situations. I promise to use every care and skill to guard my life."

Althea's own Ten-Ar discipline slowly set in, "Yes...yes...you are right, of course. We are House Ten-Ar. No matter what...we shall persevere."

"For the honour of Ten-Ar then?"

"For the honour of Ten-Ar," cried Althea.

# Chapter Three: Journey to Nan-li

Elendir finished packing. Heading through the main corridors of the palace, he reached the transportation bay that connected the palace with the rest of Hejing. A guard wearing the official white Gurun doublet embroidered with silver piping recognized Elendir and bowed, "Lord Knight Elendir. I have been expecting you. We've prepared a low altitude shuttle for you...if you will come with me." Nodding, Elendir followed him to a small craft, its blue-white trapezoidal windshield dominating its highly angular surfaces. This low altitude shuttle, at least in general appearance, strongly resembled the small interplanetary space craft once preferred by house Gurun hundreds of yen-ars ago.

As Elendir opened the door to sit down, he noticed the control panel was radically simpler than those he piloted during his training exercises with a more luxurious interior cabin designed for comfort. This was a nice shuttle he was being loaned by the palace. Sitting down, Elendir touched a few controls, adjusting the temperature, the contours of the seat, and of course, the interior lighting. Satisfied at last, he pressed the blue button that closed the shuttle door and sat down in the pilot's seat. The craft began to hover. With one hand on a crystalline lever, he carefully pulled the craft forward, out of the bay...and into the skyways above.

Traffic in the skyways of Hejing, as expected for any major city, was far more congested than Elendir found tolerable. Even hovering 0.68 li 里 above ground in the regular commuter lanes, the traffic around him remained deadlocked. As Elendir waited for his lane of traffic to be given the purple "go" signal, Elendir observed the subway trains moving rapidly below him, free of the gridlock of personal shuttles that surrounded him. On the ground, the sidewalks were dense with families, workers commuting from work, and children. As frustrating as the three tiered commuting system was, at very least it was safe for everyone. Accidents were almost unheard of and the death toll from collisions remained near zero planet wide. The on board computer chimed, "Forward signal. Accelerating."

Elendir spoke to the shuttle, "Computer...set course. Heading: Nan-li City, Xi-Nan Fang. Alert pilot 0.28 shir-ors before completion of program."

"Confirmed. Destination: Nan-li city. Autopilot engaged."

Three shir-ors passed. Elendir's low altitude shuttle slowed from its maximum speed as the craft completed its trek across the Amba Mederi Ocean, changing its course slightly to progress over land towards Nan-li City, 300.384 li 里 from the coast of northwest Xi-Nan Fang. Below the shuttle, Elendir could see the ocean vessels of house Xing-li. One vessel in particular caught his eye. It was a replica of one the ocean vessels used by house Xing-li on original home world. Despite the speed of his shuttle, Elendir tried to study it and guessed it was the same design used about ten thousand to twenty thousand yen-ars before the Great Migration—ancient indeed. A small group of five wearing house Xing-li heraldry crewed the angular vessel. Twelve tourists stood on deck, listening to a lecture from an obvious tour guide. Before Elendir could observe more, the ocean craft disappeared from his sight.

"Approaching Nan-li City," alerted the computer aboard Elendir's low altitude shuttle.

"Computer, navigate towards the centre of the city and search for suitable docking ports," commanded Elendir.

"Confirmed," answered the computer, slowing the shuttle and entering the city's local traffic.

Elendir shifted to the co-pilot seat of his shuttle and flipped some switches. A small monitor flashed on. Typing, Elendir searched the city's central information database for the things he would need most upon arrival: lodging, restaurants, subway routes, docking ports for his shuttle, and, of course, the location of the old Central Nan-li Healing Centre. He also accessed the locations of public information centres. Someone, somehow, must have recorded the information he needed.

After four xiao-shirs, Elendir found the basics of what he needed. The most convenient lodging establishment featured its own shuttle docking port as one of the listed amenities. "Computer, navigate to the Lan-xing Ulen and dock at docking port."

"Confirmed," replied the computer, changing traffic lanes and arcing to the left. In 3.4 xiao-shirs, the shuttle descended towards a large door. Sensors in the docking port detected the shuttle and soundlessly slid open to admit the shuttle. A lighted path directed the ship towards the nearest and most convenient open parking space. Sensors in the shuttle communicated with the docking port, parking the shuttle into the space. The shuttle lowered to the ground.

Elendir flipped some switches and pressed three crystalline buttons. The shuttle powered down and opened its door. Elendir collected his baggage, stepped down from the shuttle which closed behind him, and followed the floor lights to the lodging entrance.

The lights led him to a modest, well-lit lobby. A blue droid greeted him, "Welcome to Lan-xing Ulen. How may I help you?"

"Room for one, multiple beinor occupancy. Prefer intermediate amenities if they are available," answered Elendir.

"Checking availability," chirped the droid, interfacing with the resort's computer system. "We have three room options meeting those perimeters. First option features garden view and luxury bedding. Second option features full kitchen with intermediate bedding. Third option features workout area, basic bedding, and high pressure massage jet pool. Please specify your preference."

"Option two please with the kitchen."

"Confirmed. Price per beinor is ten tai-ors. Do you accept?" queried the droid.

"Confirmed," nodded Elendir, pulling out a triangular payment card.

The droid scanned his card, "Welcome to Lan-xing Ulen. Please enjoy your stay."

"This is...Fiscere square. The next stop is...Central Nan-li Healing Centre Old Complex," flashed the display on the light rail train. Elendir adjusted his dark blue cloak to better conceal his light blue tunic as he rose in preparation for disembarking from the train. His heavily embroidered silver and gold belt with its distinctive Ten-Arian knot work peaked out. A cloaked woman sitting in a nearby seat covered her face at the sight. Elendir averted her gaze. She must have discerned the meaning of his belt ... why else would she take greater pains to not be recognized? Elendir closed his eyes and quieted his mind, assuming the discipline of the Ten-Ar knights and trying to reach out with his mind.

Elendir counted Lord Knight Corann as one of his ancestors, but he had not inherited either Anlei or Corann's psychic abilities. Corann, it was said, was both house Ten-Ar and house Miyoo, a sort of prodigy in martial and priestly prowess. Some of Corann and Anlei's descendants had retained the priestly skills, but not Elendir. In his mind all he could discern was, essentially, the obvious—this woman, in discerning him as house Ten-Ar, was uncomfortable with that prospect.

As the light rail train slowed to stop at the Central Nan-li Healing Centre train stop, Elendir peered at her as tightly as he could. Brown eyes under black hair peered back at him, something he had never seen. Elendir nodded at her, and then stepped off the train.

Elendir gazed around. Unlike the familiar streets of Hejing which were clean, pristine, and geometric, these streets were considerably darker in colour; dirty in a way Elendir had never seen before. Trash cans were on opposite corners of the block, yet litter was scattered on the sidewalk in several places. As Elendir searched for the healing centre, which should have towered close to him, he smelled an odd, putrescent odour coming from a very non-localized source. Elendir checked his small tablet computer for navigation instructions. According to the map, the healing centre should be about 0.5872 li 里 from his current location. Alternating his gaze between the map and the street, he tried to follow the map. The odour grew more intense.

Five xiao-shirs passed. The map told Elendir to stop. Elendir looked up and to the left. Something smouldered near him. Elendir turned to approach the burning wreckage.

"I would not go there if I were you, milord," warned a gaunt, 50 cun 寸 tall man with black hair, brown eyes, and sallow skin, his doublet and trousers both a very dark brown in colour.

"Why not?" asked Elendir.

"Bad things happened there...many yen-ars ago. That is the old Central Nan-li Healing Centre. The new one was built two li 里 that way fifteen yen-ars ago," pointed the brown-eyed stranger.

"People died here, didn't they?" asked Elendir.

"Many...healers and patients alike. House Ten-Ar lost its best healers, they say."

"I...heard. Even in Dong-bei we've heard...."answered Elendir.

"No, good sir, you have not heard...not unless you live here. I have to assume by the colour of your eyes that you do not."

"No...I do not live here. I travelled across Beinan to find this place."

"No one looks for this place. I...would not expect a nobleman like you from so far away to know...or understand. For over sixty yen-ars this city, this place, has lived in terror. Many people, not just those you heard about who died here, have been killed since that day."

"What about the law enforcers? Have they done nothing?"

"What is there to be done? No one knows when or where the next building will be hit. No one knows who will be targeted or who is behind the attacks. The law enforcers are as helpless here as are any other residents."

"But surely there must be some demands, something whoever is doing this wants."

"You mean more than transforming what was once a glittering city of crystals and gems into a war zone? Sometimes, my lord, the objective is simply to create fear and disorder. Sometimes what a person wants is simply to watch another perish in great pain. If this is what that person wants--she, he, or they have achieved it--well."

"We Beinarians do not seek the suffering of other living beings. We are far too civilized for such things," countered Elendir.

"Perhaps...in the past, they say, this was so. But this is BE 6827. Times have changed since all of Beinan was ruled with justice and democracy by the Great Council and our elected monarchs. We are no longer so...gentile," hinted the sallow-faced stranger.

"You speak of violence and disorder. Are such terrors confined to Nan-li city--or is more of Xi-Nan Fang so afflicted?"

"Some communities escape the chaos here, but not many. It is the argun saturating our blood, they say. Or do you not know about this either?"

"Argun...as in the ore used to create the argene that powers our society?"

"Of course...or don't noble boys like you learn anything about this place I call home?"

"Please pardon my ignorance, milord. I have perhaps spent too many yen-ars sequestered in my education. This is, admittedly, my first time away from Dong Bei," confessed young Lord Knight Elendir.

"So much for the alleged wisdom of house Ten-Ar then," mocked the stranger.

Elendir blinked hard. He had carefully concealed all marks of his house. He had even broken protocol by not wearing his Ten-Arian sword, the clearest mark of knighthood for house Ten-Ar. How did this stranger know? "W-wh-what makes you think I'm of House Ten-Ar?"

The stranger laughed, "You _are_ naïve, young one. Pure logic, of course; who else but the nobles of house Ten-Ar wear such finely woven clothes? Who else but the knights of Ten-Ar wear such elaborately woven belts? You really think we natives of Nan-li know so little of the world just because we are...afflicted?"

"Afflicted? What are you talking about? Your skin seems a little strange to me...and your eyes are a colour I did not know was Beinarian at all...but beyond that—"

"Dear knight...did you not learn even of the sickness that plagues everyone who breathes the argun ore in the air? The disease takes away most of our eyesight...as long as we remain on Beinan, that is. Leave our clouded planet and our sight improves – or so they say; no one has been off world for a generation. The price for mining argun and producing argene is nothing less than disability for all of us who must work the mines or live within five thousand li 里 of one," cried the stranger, half furious.

"There have been...stories. But who could believe such tales...Brown Eye Syndrome is a myth, a story created by those who believe we should find some energy source beyond argene...even if it means confining ourselves to our home planet. Argene is the only known power source capable of propelling our star craft to super-light speeds," debated Elendir.

"Look into my eyes, young knight. Brown Eye Syndrome is no myth; it is a real disease destroying the sight of nearly everyone on this continent. After generations of mining, basic farming is not possible anymore...the mutations argun dust provokes means nothing healthy can grow here, plant or beast, anymore."

"Is it true that houses Ana, Cashmarie, Shem, and Slabi bear the brunt of this here?"

"It is not a matter of houses, Lord Knight, but of economics. The poorest and least noble, least powerful must live and work here, those the rest of our society do not want. Few are the temples to the goddesses; no one in House Miyoo wants to live here and develop Brown Eye Syndrome. Those that do are considered more missionaries than priestesses and priests of the alleged planet-wide religion. No, good Sir, this is a land where House Shem rules far more supreme. We here are God, not Goddess, fearing," described the stranger.

"The goddesses are not to be feared, good sir...but acknowledged and honoured. More than this, on the matter of religion, I feel it is not my place to debate; I am not educated in such things more than any everyday citizen of the north," admitted Elendir.

The stranger nodded, "Religion divides more than it unites. I will honour this."

"Sir...may I inquire as to your name?"

"Call me Mukhtar," bowed the stranger.

Elendir followed Mukhtar back on the light rail subway. Together they sat quietly in the crowded rail car. The display flashed fourteen stations. Finally, Mukhtar rose and headed to one of the passenger doors. Elendir followed silently.

When the odd pair reached the main street, Elendir's penta-chromatic eyes squinted. Here, everything was designed with tri-chromatism in mind. Elendir observed a complete absence of neutral colours in the cityscape around him. No whites, no blacks, no greys, no browns outside of the occasional outcropping of soil. A smog-like cloud filled the air. Elendir coughed. This was like no place he had ever seen or smelled before. Nodding and checking if Elendir were still following, Mukhtar headed towards a poorly constructed apartment building sixteen stories tall. A reddish black dust coated the exterior of the building. Elendir paused to scan the dust with his small computer. Argun dust, the computer concluded...in high concentrations. "This is argun?" asked Elendir.

"Yes. I see it as very red in colour; I am sure your eyes perceive it differently," answered Mukhtar.

"It looks reddish-black to me," confirmed Elendir.

"What is...black?" asked Mukhtar.

"I beg your pardon?" blinked Elendir.

"Black...what is that?"

"It is the complete absence of light being reflected from an object, when all the light is absorbed. You cannot see black?" puzzled Elendir.

"Beinarian eyes have a special cone for perceiving what I understand are considered neutral colours. Exposure to high levels of argun or its synthesized form, argene, over a prolonged time destroys that cone in our retinas. Another cone in normal eyes sees both very high energy and low energy light...this cone too is destroyed in new residents here...or absent altogether in those whose families have lived here for generations. This is what Brown Eye Syndrome entails...well, in large part," detailed Mukhtar.

"Why then have I not heard of this before? I have never heard or read anything mentioning any sort of ocular mutations among our people...."

Mukhtar looked Elendir in the eye, "Then perhaps you should come up and all will be obvious."

Five xiao-shirs passed. Mukhtar rang the doorbell next to apartment 16-23. A dark haired, dark skinned woman 40 cun 寸 tall opened the door, her dark brown eyes looking almost black to Lord Knight Elendir. The woman's waist length hair was braided into four separate sections that were joined together in five different places. A silver and gold pendant featuring an open book with a calligraphic "s" character in the middle hung gracefully from her neck. Lady Durwen smiled, "Mukhtar. Welcome home. How were your errands?"

Mukhtar glanced at Lord Elendir, "Productive...Lady Durwen. May I introduce you to Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar? I found him wandering near the ruins of the old Central Nan li Healing Centre."

"Welcome, Lord Knight...please! Come in," beckoned Lady Durwen.

Elendir peered as far as he could as he stepped into the dark apartment. A tint covered the windows, one he had never heard of before. It made seeing anything difficult for Elendir. He stumbled a little as he tried to navigate to the seat offered to him. Another woman, Lady Dell, offered him a glass which Elendir graciously accepted from her. To Elendir's eyes the liquid looked burgundy yet to the lady's eyes it seemed bright red. "Kelan juice?"

"Of course. It's one of the few fruits that grow here in Xi-Nan Fang," smiled Lady Dell.

"The colour of this juice is very unusual," remarked Elendir.

"Argun dust gets into everything—including the foods we attempt to grow here," explained Dell.

"I was under the impression that nothing could grow around here...that the radioactivity made it impossible...," puzzled Elendir.

"Nothing HEALTHY grows here," clarified Lady Durwen. "We have to import much of our food, just to avoid argun poisoning."

"But scientifically...wouldn't long term residents of this place eventually adapt to argun...if the problem is truly that pervasive," reasoned Lord Elendir.

"Argun is too radioactive, young knight," hinted Mukhtar. "We can tolerate only a certain amount of locally and regionally grown food. Consume more than that and the argun in our blood will kill us."

"Argun is that toxic then?"

"Of course it is...yet the location of argun deposits are confined to Xi-Nan Fang, a place so remote from most populations that it is easy to ignore its toxicity," explicated Mukhtar.

"I must confess that I have never heard of any sort of toxicity to either argene or argun. In Dong-Bei we hear only messages of how clean and safe argun and argene are for our planet's energy needs," replied Elendir.

"Politicians," exclaimed Lady Durwen. "They never tell the truth. Not our so-called Great Council, not the royals, not even the leaders of each house. All they care about is holding onto the power they possess. They are corrupt to the core. Not one good kelan in the bunch. Even their healers show preference for the high and mighty."

Durwen's attack felt like a strong kick in the abdomen to Elendir. Ever since he crossed the Amba Mederi, his heart had viciously pondered his parents' deaths. Both had died extending mercy and healing to the poorest and most disadvantaged in Nan li city. Were her words an intentional attack on him? "Central Nan-li Healing Centre was hardly discriminatory against the poor. If anything, they turned away the rich in favour of the poor. Well...before...."

"Before someone smart blew it up, you mean?" smirked Durwen. "What do you really know about it? You and your mighty lords of Ten-Ar in Dong Bei? We live here, Lord Knight. You do not."

Chastised, Elendir took a deep breath to control his raging emotions. Every word this woman spoke hurt him deeply as she insulted the memory of Keelia and Devon. Elendir stood up and paced. Finally, he turned to Durwen, "I am here to learn, milady, not be the fodder of whatever wrongs were done to you or your family."

"You mean to you are here to find out what happened to your family –and avenge them," corrected Mukhtar. "We know who you are, Lord Knight Elendir, son of Lord Devon and Lady Keelia of house Ten-Ar."

Shocked, Elendir was suddenly glad he had left his Ten-Ar great sword at home; it would have been too tempting draw under these circumstances. Instead, he applied his training and measured his voice and tone, "Devon and Keelia both died serving our people. They loved the poor, the helpless, and saved countless lives."

"I am sure that is what you have been taught, pagan," slithered Dell.

"You, who all seem to know my name and my heritage, persist in insulting my family and those I love...why? Why so blatantly antagonize me?" countered Elendir.

"To see if you are really what your house is reputed to be. To see if there is honour in you –or merely vengeance. To discover if your quest is sincere or if anger drives it. Anger that your parents whom you naturally see as innocent victims of what destroys this city fell as causalities to another's cause," snarled Durwen.

"I hate no one. How can I? I don't know any more of what happened here than I was told. I am the first to admit that our information in the north is incomplete. That is why I want to see for myself what happened, speak to those who truly know, learn from whatever it is that took the lives of my parents. I cannot find the answers cloistered in the Ten-Arian monastery. Only here can I find the truth and report it," replied Elendir.

"Report it to whom?" asked Mukhtar.

"To the leaders of my house, to Queen Darla if I must or even the Great Council itself if they will hear me. I seek the truth, not some political agenda. Maybe you have not heard, but the knights of Ten-Ar still stand for truth and honour."

"Perhaps. But the mingled bloodlines of Ten-Ar and Gurun are too tightly entwined. You yourself must be descended of some Gurun royal or another. Doubtless your loyalties will be to blood first, then the truth," assessed Mukhtar.

"The only blood that matters to me has already been spilt. I am here for answers, not politics, not debates. Please grant me leave now so I may pursue my quest for truth. Hate builds nothing, reveals nothing, only conceals and destroys," answered Elendir.

Dell bowed to him, "Then go in peace and forget you met us," Lord Knight Elendir returned the bow and quietly strode out of the apartment.

As the apartment door closed behind Elendir, a boy ran out of a back bedroom, "Is he gone, Mother?"

Lady Durwen turned and hugged her son, "Yes, Alatar. He's gone."

"Doesn't he know who we are?" asked Alatar.

"You mean that we count Lord Janus as our patriarch or that your father was mastermind behind the bombing of the old healing centre here in Nan-li? No...I do not think he suspects that," answered Durwen.

"I can follow him if you want, Mother. I can make sure he never finds out why father and Aunt Dell destroyed the healing centre by pretending to be hurt," offered Alatar.

Durwen smiled, "You are just like your father already. You make us so proud. Yes...go follow the almighty knight of Ten-Ar. Let him share his father's fate...now and for eternity."

#  Chapter Four: A Stalled Investigation

"Computer, analyse air quality," commanded Lord Knight Elendir.

"Analysing," replied the small tablet computer in Elendir's hand. In the shir-ors immediately following Elendir's visit to Mukhtar's family, Elendir wandered, disoriented, disquieted, and disoriented. But as shir-or 9.50 approached, Elendir found himself right back to where he had started when he met Mukhtar –literally and figuratively. Ten zhang 张 from Elendir's feet stood the ruins of Central Nan-li Healing Centre ... the old one, anyway, with its plume of smoke still rising from an unseen smouldering fire.

As Elendir waited for the computer to collect and process its data he coughed as mildly as he could, his lungs burning from standing near the smoke plum for the 147 xiao-shir since his arrival. "Analysis complete," reported the computer, "Regular atmosphere consists of fifty percent arnile, twenty two percent xylise, eight percent dilast, and twenty percent nirlar. Air sample at this location consists of twenty percent arnile, twenty percent argene, ten percent bilast, fifteen percent dilast, seventeen percent xylise, ten percent nirlar, and eight percent trilar."

"Computer reset and re-run present location atmosphere composition. Check for any deviations in composition and elemental density from previous report," responded a shocked Elendir.

"Analysis complete. Accuracy verified concerning air sample collected."

"Computer, scan wreckage for human remains," commanded Elendir, trying to keep his composure in light of the air sample report.

"Human remains found."

"Computer, compare helices of human remains with those of Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar."

"Confirmed. Match found. Remains of Lord Healer Devon identified. Location fifteen zhang 张 from present location at centre of ruined building and twelve zhang 张 below surface."

"State of remains."

"Twenty-four point zero five percent intact."

"Computer, contact New Nan-li Healing Centre. Request communication from healing centre coroner."

"Confirmed."

"New Nan-li Healing Centre, coroner's office," replied a voice from the tablet computer.

"This is Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar," answered Elendir.

"Yes, lord knight ... how may I help you?"

"I am standing ten zhang 张 from the ruins of the old healing centre. Can you send a team to recover one of the bodies?"

"With all due respect, Sir, I don't understand the request."

Pain flashed in Elendir's eyes, "What do you mean you don't understand the request? I have located a body that I wish recovered from site and returned for a proper funeral."

"With respect, Sir, that location is too dangerous to risk any of my staff. Look luck in fulfilling your request, but I cannot help you," denied the coroner flatly.

Elendir lost his composure at last. Falling to his knees, he did not mind the filth around him or the toxic air that burned his lungs. His eyes welled with tears and he wept as he had never wept before in his life. Was it truly too much to ask for his father's remains to be returned to Hejing?

As the last rays of sunset faded into the Beinarian night, Elendir was forced to leave the hallowed ruins and head back to his hotel room. Nothing more could be done this night. As he began his trek back to the light rail station, a pale figure with jet black hair and an equally deep black tunic, trousers, and cloak with silver embroidery along the hems caught his eye, his metallic blue eyes twinkling from beneath the sea of black fabric. Quietly, the figure followed him, barely noticed in the night.

Elendir tried to sleep but to little avail, his mind confused by the wanton destruction of the healing centre, the complacency of the coroner, and the way that Mukhtar had so quickly located him and led him away from his investigation.

Finally, at shir-or 2.879 he fell into a deep and terror-filled sleep.

The next morning, Elendir headed to the small restaurant adjacent to Lan-xing Ulen for some breakfast. Upon arrival, the hostess quickly downloaded the restaurant menu to his tablet computer, and then offered him a comfortable table adjacent to one of the restaurant's many windows. Elendir scrolled through the menu, pulling up nutritional information on items of interest. After two xiao-shirs he ordered the breakfast buffet and paid the hostess before heading to the seven rows of prepared foods and beverages.

At the buffet table he found kelan juice, its colour tainted by the argun ore dust that infused everything in the area. Pouring some into a glass, he added some cooked nanla fruit that resembled a cross between an Earth apple and a kiwi fruit and some Nara berries. Nan-li Danishes and Belarian waffles with Kara berries smelled so wonderful that he helped himself to a couple pieces of each along with some nanla-kara jam. Behind him at the buffet table slithered Alatar, sight unseen.

Sitting down at his small table, Elendir allowed himself to relax and enjoy his food. This was the sort of quiet xiao-shir he needed before heading off across Nan-li for more answers.

After twenty xiao-shir of relaxing during his breakfast, Elendir scanned his payment card into the payment kiosk to leave a twenty-five percent tip for the restaurant staff and headed back to the gym at Nan-Xing Ulen for his morning workout. Half a shir-or later, fatigued by his martial arts routine, he returned to his room, changed into a business-suitable kirtle, doublet, and tailored trousers, and, with his computer in hand, headed to the nearby light rail subway station.

"Yes? May I help you?" asked the front desk officer at precinct 12.

"Is this the law enforcement office handling the Fiscere Square area?" asked Elendir.

"It is. How may I be of service?" repeated the front desk officer.

"This is Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar. I would like to speak to an investigator, please."

The front desk officer typed into her computer, "Investigator Ristlim is available right now. May I ask what this concerns please?"

"A cold case that is very personal to me," alluded Elendir.

The front desk officer eyed him suspiciously, "I see...you'll find Lady Investigator Ristlim at her desk, chamber 12 – that way."

Elendir bowed and followed where she pointed. Reaching chamber 12, he rang the door chime. "Come in," answered Investigator Ristlim. Elendir entered. "Please...have a seat. What may I do for you?"

"I was hoping you could provide me with some information," bowed Elendir, taking a seat in front of Ristlim's desk.

"Regarding?"

"The old Central Nan-li Healing Centre that was destroyed fifty-seven yen-ars ago when my sister was just a few beinors old."

"What in particular are you interested in knowing?"

"Whatever you have in your files concerning its destruction."

"Internal files are confidential lord...."

"Elendir, son of Lord Healer Devon of house Ten-Ar. He was one of the causalities of the bombing," admitted Elendir.

"You want to know what happened to your father then, is it? Running your own independent investigation instead of letting us handle it?"

"I come at the request of Prince Kendric himself. As far as houses Gurun and Ten-Ar are aware, no attempts were made to discover what happened and who caused the bombing," elaborated Elendir.

Ristlim eyed him, "We investigated and we know who destroyed the healing centre."

"May I have that information, please?"

"No, you may not. We don't disclose that information to victims. In our experience, disclosure only opens the door to blood feuds. We refuse to be party to whatever acts of vengeance you have in mind for the parties responsible."

"I am not interested in vengeance, only closure. Lord Devon was a kind and generous man who put his life on the line to help others – no matter what house they belong to. He cared most of all for those suffering, for those who cannot help himself. No, my lady...I am not interested in vengeance. Vengeance would only soil my father's name. But I do want answers."

"I'm sorry, Lord Elendir. Perhaps your motives are pure, perhaps not. But I cannot open the door for a blood feud or any sort of retaliation. You will have to find your answers elsewhere."

"Could you at least have my father's body recovered from the site?"

"No...no one is to go there. Now that we are aware of your presence in Nan-li, we will arrest you if surveillance shows you return to the ruins after this morning," warned Investigator Ristlim.

Elendir took a deep breath, "I see. Well...then I hope your resolve in this matter proves the wise decision. I suspect that stonewalling me this beinor will have unforeseen consequences."

"We'll see."

Elendir's eyes flashed, "YES. We will."

As Elendir vanished into the corridor to leave the precinct, Alatar appeared behind Ristlim's desk. Clicking her payment card into Ristlim's computer, Alatar smiled, "Your assistance is most appreciated, Investigator. Expect that promotion to chief investigator to come through within five beinors...along with a nice, _healthy_ raise, of course."

Lady Investigator Ristlim smiled as her computer accepted payment, "Anything for our dear friends and colleagues. Please give my regards to your father...along with my thanks for the encryption protocol. No one will ever know the truth...until your clan wishes it, of course."

"Now...about that mole in the Great Council...," slithered Alatar.

"Already in place. No doubt the brave young Elendir will be heading there shortly...and into our trap," plotted Ristlim.

"EXCELLENT," slithered Alatar as he disappeared once more into the shadows.

"Nan-Xing Ulen, how may I help you?" answered the clerk.

"This is Lord Elendir in chamber 46. Could someone there please collect my belongings and bring them to my shuttle? I am checking out and would like to have everything ready upon my arrival there. You should have my payment card number on file. Please charge my card what I owe you, along with another ten tai-ors for the immediate checkout assistance," requested Elendir.

The clerk typed in some information to her computer, "Confirmed. Your shuttle will be ready and checkout completed in fifteen xiao-shirs. This acceptable?"

"Yes...thank you."

"Thank you for choosing Nan-Xing Ulen. Have a nice day."

"Thank you," smiled Elendir. Looking up from his computer, the light rail train pulled into the subway station near Precinct 12. Elendir stepped aboard the train, found a seat, and closed his eyes.

This is...Fiscere square. The next stop is...Central Nan-li Healing Centre Old Complex," chimed the train. Elendir rose in preparation for disembarking at Central Nan-li Centre. Fingering something in his left trouser pocket, he contemplated his next move, his eyes lit with an inner fire.

Stepping off the train, he strode quickly to the healing centre ruins. Stepping off the sidewalk, he pulled out the sample bottles from his pocket. Opening each one, he scooped up soil and debris samples from across the site, filling a total of five small vials and concealing them back in his pocket.

With the samples collected, Elendir knew he needed to move quickly. Striding briskly away from the site, he hailed a taxi 8.716 zhang 张 from the ruins.

It took only three xiao-shirs for the taxi to bring Elendir to the docking port at Nan-Xing Ulen. Acknowledging and thanking the lodging attendant finishing his shuttle preparations, he checked the shuttle to make sure nothing had been left behind. Satisfied, Elendir closed the hatch, sat down at the controls, and sped away from Nan-li City.

"Computer, location?" asked Elendir after 2.6 shir-ors.

"Approaching the island of Ben-Ar," stated the computer.

"Computer, slow to one half speed. Dock near the Temple of Abka Gahun."

"Confirmed. Estimated time of arrival three xiao-shirs."

As the shuttle descended to dock, Elendir studied the temple castle in front of him. The Temple of Abka Gahun was one of Beinan's oldest surviving structures, built in BE 99, almost as old as the nearby Temple of Abka Biya sculpted out of the cliff protecting Bira Hecen from the Amba Mederi Ocean. Nearly eight thousand yen-ars of wear and tear showed on the exterior walls of the temple of Abka Gahun; little chips and gouges marred the carefully aligned crystal exterior. On a small ledge created by the walls' weathering, a pair of snow white falco albus carved out a comfortable nest for themselves. Three chicks begged for food as the mother landed next to them, holding a small mammal in her talons. Elendir smiled as he watched the mother care for her babies. This family thrived, far away from human meddling.

Disembarking from his shuttle, Elendir located the tunnel arch that led to the temple from the docking area and disappeared into the winding dark path.

"Honor and service to you, Your Grace," bowed Lord Knight Elendir upon reaching the central audience chamber of the temple. Before him sat Beinan's high priestess, Aina, great-granddaughter of Princess Anlei through her youngest daughter, Princess Elena.

Upon her head sat the coronet of the high priestesses of Beinan, its triple moon heraldry one cun 寸 high and 2.2857 wide set on a narrow band. Her delicate crimson konyn wool bliaut danced in the gentle wind filling the audience chamber, caressing her willow-like body seductively. Piercing grey eyes sparkled from across the room. Here was a truly beautiful woman made even more beautiful by the enormous power she weld, a power even greater than that held by Queen Darla, and as shrewdly used as High Priestess Wehe, her foremother.

Acknowledging Elendir's approach, High Priestess Aina rose from her throne, "Your service honours us, Lord Knight. What brings you to Ben-Ar?"

Elendir closed the twenty zhang 张 between himself and Aina's throne, kneeling as he reached it, "Your Grace, I am returning to Dong-Bei from Nan-li Xi-Nan Fang."

Aina drew his eyes into her gaze, "How goes your quest, young knight?"

"The quest has failed. I found my father's remains, but none in Nan-li will recover him for the funeral he due."

"I did not think they would, Elendir. Few near that hallowed ground are willing to touch it. We of House Miyoo – yes – but the customs of House Shem are very different from ours. They do not honour the dead of those they consider pagans and heathens nor do they honour any request that would facilitate rituals done on behalf of those who believe different than they do. Theirs is a curious path, yet one we are all duty-bound to honour. That which is different from us must not be ridiculed or feared, but embraced. For we are all part of the great mystery that lies beyond our mortal flesh," taught Aina.

"Do they hate us for seeing divinity in nature? Do they despise us for seeing birds of prey and recognizing them as divine messengers?"

"Some, perhaps. I have no doubt that the descendants of Lord Janus hate all that deny the divinity of The Shemai and who choose to live lives different from theirs. But most people, no matter the house or religious tradition, are kind and gentle. Most people do not hate, Elendir, despite what you have experienced in Xi-Nan Fang."

"H-h-how did you know?"

"I feel it. I am descended from countless generations of House Miyoo, Lord Elendir. Miyoo blood flows through you as well; we both count High Priestess Wehe as our foremother, after all. Such a bloodline carries certain...talents of the soul, mind, and flesh. You do not know how to use yours. Yet I have no doubt that a yen-ar here would change that. You merely need a nudge in the right direction and the proper training."

"I do not think fate will grant me such leisure as to study here in the tranquillity of Ben-Ar nor do I know of any other path that can take my burden from me."

High Priestess Aina put her hand on Elendir's shoulder, "Hope only fails if you wish it to, Elendir. No matter what adversity life puts in our path to teach us by, all can be overcome if we open our hearts to love and healing."

"Healing...in the face of so much pain?"

"Yes, Elendir, no matter how much we suffer, there is always healing and peace for us."

"But what do you know about loss or suffering, Your Grace? Your line from Princess Anlei and Prince Corann has stayed either in Bira Hecen or in this sanctuary since BE 6338, ten yen-ars after they negotiated the continuation of the Gurun dynasty."

"You were not the only one to lose family when terrorists destroyed Our Lady Healing Centre of Bira Hecen. My mother, High Priestess Anlei the Meek, also perished in that bombing. Seventeen beinors later, I was elevated to High Priestess in my mother's stead, the youngest priestess ever so elevated. I was only ninety-four yen-ars at the time, Elendir, and a fully ordained priestess for only 114 beinors when I took my vows as high priestess."

"I-I-I didn't know."

"Not many do, young knight."

"So what now, Your Grace? Every attempt to discover the truth about who is behind the bombings in Xi-Nan Fang has been blocked. No one will help me. It's as if there is an open secret going on down there that is unknown only to those of us who live on some other part of Beinan."

"You came to Xi-Nan Fang openly, did you not? An obvious tourist visiting a place no local will touch. That calls attention to yourself, young knight. No...if the truth is widely known but being concealed from us simply because we do not live there and do not know the local ways, then perhaps another visit is in order –one to another corner of Xi-Nan Fang where your presence will be less obvious," pondered Aina.

"Their eyes are brown there, Your Grace, some sort of genetic mutation relating to argene. Anyone travelling there from Dong-bei is an obvious stand out to them."

"Well then, you will just have to disguise yourself, now won't you?"

"And what about my obligations to Prince Kendric? He sent me on this quest and no doubt is expecting some sort of report."

High Priestess Aina paced for a xiao-shir, "Then we will simply have to attend the next session of the Great Council to make that report. But first, stay here in the temple. Watch and listen to the birds of this island. Meditate a while and quiet your heart for the challenge ahead. My instincts tell me a few beinors here will contribute greatly to the continuation of the quest."

Elendir bowed, "I here and obey. As it is spoken, so mote it be."

The tranquillity of the island of Ben-Ar was addictive to the young knight whose life had been thrown into so much drama since his elevation. Though the Ten-Arian monastery was generally a peaceful place for most of that house, Elendir found it stifling at times, filled with reminders of what might have been and what he lost. In response to his mother's death, he had thrown himself into his studies, trying to fulfil her final wish for him. He even delayed knighthood by studying for six yen-ars with the healers of Ten-Ar and earned a medical apprenticeship towards becoming a full healer. No one in five hundred yen-ars had attempted full training in both pursuits. To become equally warrior and healer seemed a contradiction. Yet Elendir had at least begun the training and was competent to handle many medical emergencies – at least well enough to stabilize someone injured until better trained help could arrive.

These efforts were to honour his mother, even his knighthood was pursued in her honour. In the tranquillity and beauty of the temple, Elendir found himself wandering the halls and gardens lost in thought, wondering about the road not travelled, what he life would have been like had his parents lived.

Yet his quest was not forgotten. After five beinors of rest and relaxation in the temple, Elendir and a priest-in-training named Argul journeyed to nearby Bira Hecen to the rebuilt Our Lady Healing Centre, widely esteemed for its cutting edge research and skilled laboratory technicians. There, he handed off the soil samples he collected at Nan-li Central Healing Centre to the lab for analysis. Politely the Ten-Arian healer told him to expect results in 3.897 beinors. Bowing, Elendir requested as much of the original material as possible returned to him and returned with Argul to the temple's meditative comforts.

The Great Hall of the Assembly sparkled in blue-white crystal, its conical towers rising up above the trapezoidal central complex. Dormers rose across the clean lower trapezoids of the complex, adding light and brilliance to both interior and exterior walls. Stained glass windows sparkled from each dormer, adding light and beauty through their intricate trapezoidal fractals. Elendir and Aina landed their shuttle in the nearby docking port and readied themselves for what was about to begin.

"All rise for Her Grace, Aina, High Priestess of Beinan," cried the herald as Aina, Elendir, and Aina's retinue of priestesses and priests entered the Great Hall of the Assembly.

Aina's steely grey eyes sparkled, "Blessed be. House Miyoo requests permission to address the Great Council."

Honourable Lord Sacerdos Marcus of House Shem rose, "The Great Council recognizes house Miyoo."

"You are house Shem, are you not, honourable chairman?"

Marcus acknowledged Aina, "I am Sacerdos Maximus of house Shem, yes. My name is Marcus, son of Leonitus, honourable lord and chair of this august council. I am ordained in my faith to lead my house as you are to yours, Your Grace."

"Your presence honours me, Honourable Lord Marcus. How fairs house Shem this beinor?"

"You know the answer to that already, Your Grace. Or does the famous sight of your faith fail you already? Is it possible you see nothing from your temple spire on Ben-Ar save the waste of those falco albus who make their nest on your temple cliffs?"

"Insults are hardly merited, Honourable Lord Marcus. Why throw them so readily now? My faith respects yours, after all."

"In light of the situation in Xi-Nan Fang, Your Grace, I find that claim difficult to believe," countered Marcus.

Elendir eyed Marcus carefully. Was Marcus trying to start formal hostilities between Beinan's major religions by throwing around his political capital as chairman of the council? Hoping to smooth things a bit, Elendir stepped forward, "We are not here to discuss theology, Honourable Lord Marcus. We come to discuss a matter of true importance."

"And that is?" asked Marcus.

"The deteriorating situation in Xi-Nan Fang and the violence that still plagues its residents," answered Elendir.

"You are not a member of this council; why are you here lord..."

"...Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar. I was sent to Nan-li City eighty-four beinors ago on beinor 78 by Crown Prince Kendric himself to investigate this matter, a matter that clearly concerns him," reported Elendir.

"Since when does the crown concern itself about the affairs of the poor and disadvantaged, of those suffering half a planet away?" inquired Lady Elanda of house Ana.

Elendir eyed Lady Elanda, "I cannot speak for the crown, good lady. But I can speak for myself. My father died when Central Nan-li Healing Centre was destroyed on BE 6770, beinor 92. Since that time, I have needed answers, as have all who lost family that terrible beinor. Upon arriving in Nan-li I discovered how little has been done since that beinor. Bodies remain buried in the rubble with no effort to retrieve them. The site sits much as it did xiao-shirs after the explosions. In all these yen-ars absolutely nothing has been done. Meanwhile the site still smoulders with poison. Arnile levels are down to twenty percent of the air in the area. Xylise is down to 17 percent from the normal 22 percent found across Beinan. Nirlar is only ten percent of the air there, instead of the twenty percent normally found. Dilast is at fifteen percent—more than double normal levels. In addition, twenty percent of the air is argene, ten percent is bilast, and eight percent is trilar.

"It is a toxic place, one long ago abandoned without any regard for those who died there or those who live in the area ever after," reported Elendir.

"Toxic yes, for over fifty yen-ars, the people of Nan-li have suffered from these poisons. Yet your report fails to answer our central question: what concern is it to you or your prince how the people of Nan-li live?" queried Honourable Lady Alidir of house Slabi. "Ten-Ar is safe and sound from all of these perils. What do you care of any of this?"

"Central Nan-li Healing Centre employed many healers of Ten-Ar," asserted Lord Knight Malvyn, rising from his council seat. Walking briskly to the podium at which Aina and Elendir stood, he glared at Honourable Lady Alidir, "I agree with his highness in sending a knight of Ten-Ar to investigate the bombing. It was long overdue. In light of Lord Healer Devon's death while caring for patients in the emergency ward, it is only appropriate for his orphaned son to search for the answers all in house Ten-Ar seek."

Elendir greeted his mentor with the Ten-Arian gesture of respect and whispered to him, away from the podium microphone, "It is good to see you, Master."

Malvyn whispered back to Elendir, "Your quest is not nearly as in vain as you think, young knight – if you have the courage to continue your investigations."

Honourable Lady Alidir glared back at Malvyn and Elendir, "For what reason would Ten-Ar seek answers after so many yen-ars? Revenge perhaps?"

"Revenge is against the will of the triple goddess Abka Biya, Banumu Hehe, and Abka Gahun for it is a personal war, immoral at its core," asserted High Priestess Aina.

"Many who claim religion give its precepts lip service alone. In action, their faith is no more than a whim, a passing fancy of convenience," retorted Honourable Lord Marcus.

"From many, I would believe your claim, Lord Sacerdos Marcus, but to even imply this towards the high priestess of Beinan...I can barely think of anything more treasonous," rebutted Lord Knight Malvyn. "Would you, the head of house Shem wish for your piety to be questioned in open council among so many leaders and peers of Beinan? No...I think not. Your hypocrisy stings with veiled contempt. The real question is, my lord, why?"

"Would it please you to know that I am a descendent of Cariadoc, same as High Priestess Aina? My forefather was Lord Kaleb; I believe hers was named Lord Corann," slithered Honourable Lord Marcus.

Surprised by the revelation, Aina reached outward with her mind. A lifetime of practice and discipline had taught her to shield her mind from the thoughts and emotions of others; such discipline was as trademark to Miyoo as the great sword was to the knights of Ten-Ar. As high priestess, it was particularly hard for Aina to keep out the thoughts and feelings of others, so strong was her talent for feeling the inner minds of others, so great was her Miyoo heritage. Yet now she lowered her massive shields and allowed her mind to do what came most naturally to it. The mental shouts of each councillor came first. Control asserted itself; instead of a cacophony of mental noise, the signal clarified to just Marcus's inner voice. Anger, hatred, bitterness struck her, as powerfully as if Marcus had raised his fist to her face.

Could it be that the descendants of Cariadoc and Jebez still resented Cariadoc's brief coupling with Lady Priestess Cordelia and the child that came of that union, her son by Cariadoc, Lord Knight Corann? Something felt...wrong...a darkness her instincts for self- preservation told her not to touch in the mind of another.

Instinctively, Aina's mental shields re-asserted themselves without any conscious effort by her to keep them lowered. Distracted for a xiao-shir while she contemplated Marcus' revelation, High Priestess Aina blinked, then returned her gaze to Marcus, "If you are of the line of Kaleb, good sacerdos, then we are blood and must not quarrel lest we dishonour the name of our mutual forefather."

"Let not the ghosts of the past haunt us now, my colleagues of the Great Council. Rather, it is far more productive for us to decide here, in chambers, how best to alleviate the suffering of those across Xi-Nan Fang. Surely the fire that still smoulders must be put out. Better safety standards in and around the mines can reduce argene emissions into the atmosphere. We can clean up pollution, encouraging the local ecology to rebound, plant groves and forests of Nara trees to efficiently recharge the atmosphere with nirlar. We have the power to fix this...once and for all. If we only care enough about those who live far away and cope with challenges we are far too sheltered here to face ourselves," pleaded Malvyn.

Lady Elanda applauded sarcastically, "Beautifully spoken, lord knight. Eloquent words indeed. But I do not believe your speech is sincere. Ana, Shem, Slabi, Cashmarie, Plover... we are the ones who suffer most in Xi-Nan Fang. I do not believe for one xiao-shir that you, your beloved queen, her heirs, or the priestesses of house Miyoo care enough to actually do anything. Many in house Ten-Ar died that beinor, yes. Many more common folks from our houses have died as the violence has continued across the yen-ars. If Ten-Ar, Gurun, and Miyoo have cared so much for the poor and disadvantaged in Xi-Nan Fang, I think they would not have waited nearly fifty yen-ars to protest such suffering. No, my lord knights, I do not believe you speak truly."

"Will nothing be done, then?" asked Elendir.

"What is there to be done?" remarked Honourable Lady Alidir. "If this council is complacent, then perhaps it is understandable in light of Ten-Ar's lack of action so far to events claimed to have wounded them so deeply. If house Ten-Ar cannot be bothered to care for fifty yen-ars, then why should the rest of us?"

"If I had the strength and yen-ars to act before, surely you must believe I would have," cried Elendir. "Full knights, not children, are sent for such interventions. My elevation took place just this yen-ar. Surely none here can accuse me of failing to act."

Elanda approached Elendir compassionately, "No, we do not accuse you of failing in this matter, young knight. Prudence sends only those who have already come of age on such errands. Your ardour to investigate warms my heart, even as surely your blood boils more and more as you learn the truth others have known for quite some time."

Elendir met her eyes, "You know, don't you? My reports this shir-or are not news to you, are they? There is no mystery here where you are concerned. You do not act now because you already know everything I could discover through my investigations. Yet you reveal nothing to me nor to my house. How many of you keep these secrets?"

"Time will answer your questions, young knight. I need not say anything further... except to motion we adjourn for the beinor. Return not to this assembly until you discover for yourself what I already know," retorted Lady Elanda.

Lord Knight Elendir bowed, "As the Council commands, so shall I obey." With anger in his eyes, he turned and left the assembly hall.

# Chapter Five: Lady Elita

The throne room in Hejing sparkled with the morning light. Ceremoniously, Queen Darla and Prince Consort Torr processed to their thrones on the raised dais. Two steps behind walked their children, Prince Kendric and Princess Cathryn, all arrayed, like their parents, in white konyn wool trimmed with gold embroidery. Queen Darla smiled at her husband as he offered his hand gracefully to steady her on her step up to her throne. Next to the dais, prince and princess took their places. Turning to the court before them, the royal family sat in their thrones in perfect unison and precision.

Queen Darla raised her head and voice to the herald standing near her, "What business is there before the court?"

The herald bowed, "Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar wishes to come before Your Most Royal of Majesties."

"Bade him come," commanded the queen.

The herald turned to face the fifty or sixty courtiers rummaging around the hall, "Her Majesty, Queen Darla of house Gurun, summons Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar."

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, Elendir appeared out of the shadows of the many columns lining the throne room, his white cloak embroidered in silver knot-work concealing his body until he moved, revealing a long white kirtle and black sleeveless doublet. From his belt Elendir hung his Ten-Arian schlager sword. On his brow he wore the blue gem of the knights of Ten-Ar set in a narrow filet of Beinarian silver.

His was an heirloom circlet, the same circlet gifted to Lord Knight Corann upon his elevation to knighthood in BE 6326. As Elendir moved out of the shadows and into the light cast by the stained glass windows behind the throne, his heirloom circlet sparkled and radiated, as if in reply to a question posed by Beinarian sun streaming through the dancing stained glass. In six practiced steps Elendir floated before their majesties and knelt, "You requested my presence, Your Majesty?"

"Great is the honour of house Ten-Ar as shown in you, young knight. What brings you to my court this beinor?"

Elendir raised his face to meet the queen's eyes, "Your Majesty, I am humbled to be in your presence this morning. As no doubt you know, I was sent to Nan-li in Xi-Nan Fang by Prince Kendric to investigate the bombing of Central Nan-li Healing Centre of BE 6770, beinor 92. Eighty-nine beinors have passed since my arrival in that city. I am here to report my findings to you in open court, if you will hear what I discovered."

"I shall hear you...as shall all of Beinan through this place," smiled Queen Darla ceremoniously.

Rising, Elendir turned to face both the royals in front of him and the entire assembly, "Great is the lamentation in Xi-Nan Fang. I found the ruins of the healing centre untouched by those charged with putting out the fires and retrieving our loved ones. Time and time alone has touched the site which still smoulders toxic dilast. The atmosphere in the area is radioactive and poisonous to all. Long plagued by outdated mining practices, argene and argun ore dust saturate everything. The residents all suffer from Brown Eye Syndrome, destroying their eyesight and shifting the colours across the city and the continent to help them function – poorly at best. Food is barely produced and that which the residents can grow is infused with argene. The people live in poverty. Hate fills their hearts. It is as if the rest of us have forgotten them."

"So you are confirming the rumours we have long heard concerning the area?" queried Darla.

"The conditions are far worse, Your Majesty, than we ever thought. The residents are bitter and angry. Many I met use religion as a pretext for their hate. I personally received hostility from one family for honouring the goddesses. If I had to guess, Your Majesty, I would say that many do not separate politics from religion."

"Politics and religion are dangerous when combined, Lord Elendir," affirmed Lord Prince Consort Torr. "House Gurun has long asserted such dangers and worked hard to avoid it, even as we have found our best allies among the priestesses and priests of house Miyoo and worked ever long towards humble piety. Can it be any wonder that so much Gurun and Miyoo blood are mingled? You, the queen, our children...all of us count house Miyoo in our pedigrees."

"For this, Your Highness, I fear we are all hated by far too many in Xi-Nan Fang and across House Shem. Five beinors ago, at the meeting of the Great Council, I gave my report. While there I met the sacerdos maximus of house Shem, Honourable Lord Marcus, chairman of the Great Council. Your Majesties... he was filled with animosity against us. As I made my report, I experienced blatant and aggressive resistance towards every effort by both house Miyoo and house Ten-Ar to try to help these people. It is as if they blame us all for some mortal sin that surely must pre-date our births," recounted Elendir.

"Such hate may threaten all our lives, lord knight. Therefore I extend your commission. Go back to Xi-Nan Fang and discover what is behind all of this. Take as much time as you need...yen-ars if that is required. We must know what we are dealing with," commanded Queen Darla.

"As it is commanded, so shall I obey. Yet one barrier remains. I do not look like a native to Xi-Nan Fang; anyone looking into my eyes can tell I was not born there nor am I descendent of anyone exposed to argene."

"You are trained in the healing ways, young knight, honouring your late parents and this crown equally through your studies. Go to the healing centre here in the palace and seek out the assistance you require," answered Queen Darla, rising from her seat.

The herald standing next to the dais recognized Queen Darla's cue. Facing the court he proclaimed, "All rise. Make way for her most royal of majesties, Darla, queen of Beinan," Prince Consort Torr rose, offering his wife his arm. Queen and prince stepped off the dais and strode out of the hall while all in the throne room bowed.

"Lord Knight Elendir reporting as ordered," announced Elendir as he entered the palace healing centre which had barely changed since Lady Healer Cara of house Gurun treated Lord Corann's shoulder and chest wound there.

From her desk rose chief healer Darah of house Gurun. Picking up her special eye glasses and adjusting the lights around her, she shook Elendir's hand, "Lady Healer Darah at your service, Lord Elendir."

Elendir looked into Darah's eyes and noted the discomfort in her body language from the light of the antechamber, "Lady Healer Darah...your eyes brown."

Darah squinted, "My parents were healers at Central Nan-li Healing Centre, Elendir, same as your father – but both of my parents survived. I was born in Nan-li in BE 6774, not far from where Lord Devon died. My parents, Murdim and Devra, knew him well. He was a good friend of ours."

Elendir sighed at the mention of his father, "I am glad to hear he had friends among his colleagues. I have rarely heard anyone speak of him...except in that he died."

"There is more to life than grief, Elendir; I learned that from my mother. It took her a long time to recover emotionally from losing so many dear friends and family. Two aunts and several first cousins died a few cun 寸 from your father. It's been hard on all of us."

"Do your parents have Brown Eye Syndrome, Lady Darah?"

"Yes...I inherited the disorder from my mother while in the womb. Brown Eye Syndrome destroys not only two cones in our retinas, but the genes responsible for creating them in progeny, despite the disorder's generally recessive nature."

"My...sympathies for your condition, milady," sympathized Elendir.

"You sound as if I'm dying, Lord Elendir, not merely inconvenienced. Do you not know that our race was tetra-chromatic on original home world? We...evolved the fifth cone in our eyes only after we came to Beinan."

"I imagine you are an expert in Beinarian vision."

"It...helps me adapt," smiled Darah. "Now... to your problem. I understand that you are headed to Xi-Nan Fang for a prolonged investigation regarding the terrorism that has raged for over fifty yen-ars. Understandably, Queen Darla wants you able to return to Hejing without any long term mal-effects to your health. I honour and respect this, even though I disagree with her assessment that there is anything particularly wrong with developing Brown Eye Syndrome. Nonetheless, even with Brown Eye Syndrome, a native to Xi-Bei and Dong-Bei is ill-equipped to deal with conditions there. Whether you realize it or not, they are adapting physically to the radioactivity... perhaps not in desirable ways, but it is certainly less toxic for them to live there than for a northerner."

Elendir stumbled verbally, "Do... do... are you able to handle it?"

"I have a few health issues created by growing up there without protection... yes. But I can return without the radioactivity and poisons killing me; you cannot survive nearly so long," confessed Darah.

"What remedy is there, then?"

"How do you feel about trans-dermal inoculation?"

"I am a trained knight; if I can handle three shir-ors of combat, surely I can handle trans-dermal inoculation," smirked Elendir."

Darah moved to a medical wall console and pulled out a trans-dermal syringe, "This is a cellular protectant designed to mitigate cellular damage due to argene and argun ore's high radioactivity. Each inoculation lasts only forty-five beinors, so I'll give you several booster syringes to cover the next two yen-ars. After that, you will have to return to Hejing for a physical examination and additional medication." Elendir rolled up the sleeve on his left arm and watched as Darah pressed the syringe into a surface vein on the inside of his arm. Instinctively he cringed from the burning sensation of the shot. Filling up the syringe with another medication, Darah continued her inoculation, "This accelerates cellular regeneration. Argun and argene exposure will destroy many of your cells by their nature. This won't completely stop that process, but you will recover faster and suffer fewer short term and long term ill-effects from exposure. Like the cellular protectant, this will only last for forty-five beinors, so you'll have to give yourself booster inoculations."

Elendir cringed ever so slightly as Darah pressed the syringe into his vein, "What about my appearance? I do not look Xi-Narian."

Darah picked up a small medical scanner and waved it near his body. A green light flashed into his eyes. Elendir blinked. Darah gazed at the read-out, and then pressed a few buttons on a wall console. Three boxes slid out of the console. Darah opened the first box and pulled out a pair of brown contact lenses, "These lenses will help you look more like a Xi-Narian. But they are more than just cosmetic. They contain a filter designed to preserve your sight by blocking argene reactions in your eyes. This box contains some eye drops along with the lenses. I want you to put two drops in each eye every morning and every evening. Since no doubt someone will see you do this, you must tell them that you have a small defect on your cornea that requires a prescription drop to mitigate. These corneal aberrations are common enough among Xi-Narians that I doubt anyone will have a problem with such a claim. Besides, it's mostly true." Acknowledging her with a nod of the head, Darah expertly inserted each contact onto Elendir's corneas.

"Am I all set then?"

Darah shook her head, "One more thing...critical to your survival there. You are likely experience high levels of not only argun and argene, but dilast and other poisons, this cipher will chemically react with those toxins and transmute them into safe elements. Without this cipher you won't be able to breathe the atmosphere there for more than twelve xiao-shirs without experiencing permanent ill-effects. Try to breathe the atmosphere for more than fifteen xiao-shirs without protection and you will asphyxiate." Darah pulled out a Beinarian platinum necklace, its pendant containing what looked like the heraldry of house Xing-li with its translucent Beinarian sapphire sparkling from its faceted surfaces. Darah pulled the thick chain around his neck, "Make sure the metal touches your skin at all times without fail. Only a couple cun 寸 of the surface needs to touch your skin to work, but without at least that much, the cipher will not engage and it will become little more than a piece of jewellery...remember, this cipher is your best protection against the toxic atmosphere and toxic elements that saturate the area. We are experimenting with these devices for interstellar travel, that's why the pendant takes the form of house Xing-li's heraldry; they are the ones who developed it and have tested it. Do not reveal that information to anyone who does not know it already."

"How long will the cipher work?"

"We don't know...no one has tried to use one for more than three or four hundred beinors. It is possible the device will fail after that; you will have to inform us on that matter. Explorer droids sent to investigate the deaths of Xing-li and Gurun explorers to other worlds were not able to determine the effectiveness of ciphers our people were sent with to protect them," admitted Darah. "I believe Princess Anyu, daughter of King Ejen, and younger sister to Queen Isabelle, was one such explorer."

Elendir adjusted his cipher around his neck, "I cannot thank you enough, milady."

"Come back safe, that is all I ask," nodded Darah.

"I promise," vowed Elendir.

The shuttle issued to Lord Knight Elendir was an older design and far less luxurious than the one he flew on his first mission to Xi-Nan Fang. The angular exterior showed wear and tear, particularly on its surfaces. The pilot chair was comfortable, but far less convenient to use. Setting the auto-pilot and programming his chosen navigation across Beinan's surface, Elendir curled up in one of the passenger chairs fifteen zhang 张 from the cockpit, opened up a blanket, and fell asleep while the shuttle guided itself through the long journey across Beinan.

"Now approaching Xi-Nan Fang," alerted the navigational computer. "Changing course to 31589 mark 2489 and reducing speed to 74 li 里 per shir-or."

Elendir rose from the make-shift bed he created in the passenger section and sat down in the pilot's chair, "Estimated time of arrival to the mining town of Amba Narel?"

"Thirty-five xiao-shirs at current speed," replied the computer.

"Computer, interface with local systems. Display known information about Amba Narel on screen," The computer complied, visually displaying Amba Narel's population of six thousand Xi-Narians, primary industry of argun ore mining, and a list of area businesses. A map appeared on his display showing the layout of the town, lodging options, and available light rail routes. For a town of a mere six thousand residents, Amba Narel possessed an extensive public transit network. It was so extensive that the data displayed indicated unusually low shuttle traffic patterns; clearly the population relied heavily on the area trains. Scanning the data in front of him, Elendir spotted a small bed and breakfast about one li 里 from the heart of Amba Narel's business district, "Computer, locate lodging establishment called Seng Morgenmad and dock at nearest docking port."

"Confirmed," replied the computer. The shuttle expertly navigated through Amba Narel and parked as commanded.

Entering the bed and breakfast, Lord Elendir noticed what looked like very simple furniture and simple architecture, mostly made of what looked like a red-brown barked wood. The proprietor of the bed and breakfast greeted him, "Hello, my lord. Welcome to Seng Morgenmad. How may I be of service?"

"Hello. I'm looking for a cosy room where I can stay for at least twenty beinors, or until I can find something more permanent," answered Elendir.

"Travelled far to get here lord..."

"Elendir... and yes. I lost my job as a medic in Central Nan-li twelve beinors ago. I guess they are looking for full healers, not just folks good at first aid," lied Elendir.

"Ah yes... it's a common story, I hear. Big business always wants a bigger and more expensive education or they only want you for a short while. But it takes yen-ars off in grander places than Xi-Nan Fang to get that sort of education. I hear the houses with the best schools don't want no Xi-Narians around. They says it's because of our eyes, you know. But I don't need no problem with being a miner's son, do you?" prattled the proprietor.

"I was hoping to do better for myself than my father...he died you know. Those mines are dangerous places, especially when a man has wife and two young children," agreed Elendir tactfully, distorting the truth.

"Aye... I hear you, young Elendir. Yes, indeed. I hear you. So you went to the big city, hoping to do better for yourself by picking up a trade and now the hoity-totties don't want ya? So you're coming for a new start, a new chance out here, eh?"

Elendir nodded vigorously, "Yes, exactly. I need a new start where no one knows my name or cares who my father was."

"Got any family?"

"My sister... she's staying with our cousin...trying to get an education. Maybe, just maybe, out here I can earn enough tai-ors to keep her in school. She deserves a chance to do better than me."

"Aye, aye," agreed the proprietor. "Well then, let's see what I can do to help you. Do you mind a room on the second floor? Can you accept three tai-ors per night?"

"Three tai-ors per night is more than fine. I saved up a few tai-ors when I was working... just in case this ever happened," smiled Elendir, handing over his triangular payment card to the man.

"All your meals are included with your room, so be sure to come downstairs to this dining area for something to eat and we'll take good care of you, alright," smiled the proprietor.

Elendir bowed politely, "Thank you," Picking up his belongings, he headed to the staircase and up to his room.

Elendir woke from a disturbed sleep at shir-or 4.25. The room around him was humble, but adequate, with its own private restroom and shower. The bed was basic, but comfortable. A large window let light into the modest room. A closet and dresser were placed near the window, along with a full length mirror. A small dressing table with mirror offered simple shaving implements. Sitting down at the dressing table, Elendir shaved contently, picked up his tablet computer, and organized himself for the day. Choosing a blue tunic and dark green trousers, he dressed and noted his appearance in the mirror as he put the prescription eye drops in his eyes, blinking from the slight stinging sensation of the drops. He was finally ready to go.

Breakfast at Seng Morgenmad was modest in quality, but ample in quantity. This family clearly had very little money and resources, but they shared with their lodgers as if each person was family. Elendir poured himself some kelan juice and helped himself to some fresh nanla fruit which he sliced up before eating. Miniature Belarian waffles sat on a plate near him. He took two and ate them without jam. At a far table on the other side of the room dined a young man with jet black hair, rich black tunic and trousers, and with metallic silver eyes. Was he the same man he briefly glimpsed in Nan-li City? After watching the man for two xiao-shirs, he stood up from his table, bowed to his hosts, and then began his long walk to Amba Narel's mine.

"So, my lord..."

"... Elendir. My name is Elendir."

"... Elendir... do you have any experience working in a mine?" asked the foreman.

"No, Sir, none. My last job was in Nan-li as a medic. I'm not a healer, so they let me go after someone with more education came around."

"What did you do before that?" inquired the foreman.

"Nothing... school, a few odd jobs to pay my tuition, but nothing worth mentioning. I tried to get an apprenticeship up in Bira Hecen in Dong-Bei... but they didn't want a lout like me," Elendir darted his eyes as he elaborated on his basic cover story. Deceit like this was completely against everything he believed in, everything the Code of Ten-Ar taught him. But what choice was there? How could he solve the mystery of his father's death and uncover whatever was happening in Xi-Nan Fang if he told the truth? He had tried honesty in Nan-li and learned nothing.

Still, lying to facilitate his quest hurt him deeply, as if someone were physically assaulting him with an ancient sword. His conscience nagged him with each lie.

The foreman eyed Elendir carefully. Something about this young man did not add up, but he could not place what it was... an accent? Elendir's careful grooming? Without any proof that Elendir was lying about anything, the foreman resigned himself with what was before him, "So you want to try your hand at mining then? Well, I will warn you: it's not pretty and not for the lazy, but if you don't mind hard work, I'll pay you five tai-ors per shir-or. Start you off at five shir-ors per beinor, your meal time fully paid since I know the mines thirty li 里 inland from here pay eight tai-ors per shir-or. What do you think?"

Elendir bowed politely, "Teach me and I'll work as hard as I can... you got a deal."

Working in the mine at Amba Narel was the hardest thing Elendir had ever tried. As strong as the discipline was at the Ten-Arian monastery and the many shir-ors on end they had trained him to endure the rigors of combat, nothing could have prepared him for the intense manual labour expected of him. The mine was dark, radioactive, and hard to breathe in, especially for him, even with the help of his hidden cipher. Argun ore saturated everything. It was so thick he could barely breathe, but feared to cough too much lest he give away his secret. When he thought no one was looking, he took environmental readings with his computer, logging his work conditions. How could anyone live like this for even twelve beinors at a time... much less the many yen-ars endured by most of the miners around him?

Processing the argun ore into argene was done at a large facility thirty li 里 away, far from the intense argun dust he was breathing. As the industrial shuttles filled with argun ore, Elendir watched them despondently, wishing he could leave too.

The new yen-ar arrived almost beneath Elendir's awareness. The mine was shut down for the beinor to provide everyone with a needed break. Instead of work, all the miners were invited to attend a social gathering where there would be feasting, music, and dance. Putting in a new set of contact lenses into his eyes and administering the inoculations prescribed by Lady Healer Darah, Elendir donned his dark wool tunic, white trousers, and plain cloak. Dressing, Elendir missed his Ten-Arian sword and knightly circlet which he had left in the keeping of High Priestess Aina on the island of Ben-Ar. Trying to keep a brave face despite his homesickness, he walked to the party and forced a smile.

Inside the hall were many co-workers he recognized. They waved at him. He waved back, but did not speak. Instead, his eyes were transfixed on the petite figure of a young woman wearing a black bliaut and white kirtle which peaked out from beneath the bliaut's wide sleeves. Her hair was raven black and carefully braided on top of her head. Her eyes were dark brown and lips were a soft pink colour. Her gown seemed to float around her body as she moved. She was the most sensual woman Elendir had seen, even more beautiful than Princess Cathryn. Elendir blushed as she met his gaze from across the room.

Smiling, the young woman approached Elendir, "May be the blessings of the Shemai be with you, lord..."

"E-E-Elendir," stuttered the knight.

The woman blushed at Elendir, "You are new to Amba Narel, aren't you?"

"Yes... I moved here on beinor 170... from Nan-li."

"Well, Lord Elendir... it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Lady Elita of house Shem – but I am sure my blessing conveyed that," flirted Lady Elita.

"Y-yes, milady; you seem very devout."

"My father is the sacerdos of Amba Narel; I would hope so. I want to be a good daughter to him."

"Of course. I am sure you are, milady."

Elita took his left hand gently, "How about you call me 'Elita' instead of 'milady?' I am not nearly so grand as all that."

"Yes you are. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," remarked Elendir.

"You flatter me, but kindly. I know my worth... and my heritage. I cannot change my pedigree... but I can live with virtue and honour. I can be a credit to my father."

"Forgive me... but you are a credit to yourself first. You don't need a man in your life to be beautiful or virtuous or any other sort of thing. You set your destiny. You don't need me or anyone else to shape your life."

"You are not religious, I assume, Elendir."

"No, not really. Religion is not a priority for me. I was raised to be religious, of course... but somewhere along the line... I don't know. Maybe I just feel other parts of my life need my attention more than my soul."

Elita smirked, "Then be glad you don't have my father."

"Is he here right now?"

"I am fifty-two yen-ars old... I don't need a chaperone any longer... unless you have intentions towards me that would be... objectionable...."

"A dance?"

"I would be delighted," bowed Elita, taking Elendir's newly coarse hands into hers and leading him into the dance floor where couples were already lined up waiting for the next dance to begin.

Shir-or 11.50 arrived before Elendir realized it. For the last three shir-ors he and Elita danced and talked. Being near her was intoxicating to him. He wanted to take her to his room and make love to her until dawn, yet he hesitated to even kiss her for the first time. His faith in the goddesses made no objection to love making; if anything it was often encouraged. But Elendir knew nothing about Elita's religion – except that they believed the universe was created by a single, male deity – that he did not wish to offend this beinor. Walking hand in hand with her in the night air, his mind raced, uncertain what to do. He wanted her, but dared not touch her.

Elita felt a shift inside Elendir as they gazed together at Biya Gealach, the second of Beinan's three moons, "What is it, Elendir?"

"I...enjoy being with you."

Elita caressed his face, "Why is that a problem?"

"It has been many yen-ars since I attended religious service; I don't remember much about your faith at all. I want to be close to you more than words can tell but..."

"... But you worry you would offend me and those near me by acting on your feelings?"

"YES. Lady Elita... you are the most beautiful woman I have ever been near, more beautiful than even..."

"... the one you bedded before meeting me?" Elita's gaze went straight into his eyes.

"How did you know?"

"Educated guess... I've been in the company of men who have been with women of the night and noticed how they behave around me."

"But... no... it wasn't like that. I didn't pay her... I didn't seek her out... it just... happened," stumbled Elendir.

Elita caressed his hand, "You don't seem to be the sort of man who would... pursue a woman just for your own carnal interests. If I thought that about you, I would not have spent the evening in your company."

"My lady... I don't know what I am supposed to do. I don't want tonight to end without you. I want to wake up in your arms at dawn, pleasing you physically throughout what remains of the night...."

Elita kissed his cheek, "Not yet."

Elendir kissed her lips tentatively. Elita returned his kiss. Encouraged, Elendir kissed her passionately, holding her close, needing her, but not daring to let his lips drift to any other part of her body. Breaking the kiss to breathe, he panted, "What must I do to be with you?"

"Court me, seduce me with love and time... until you can commit yourself completely to me, until you are ready to betroth me."

Elendir kissed her, his body resisting him, "Whatever it takes... as long as it takes... I shall be yours."

"So be it," consented Elita. In the shadows, unseen by Elendir, a dark figure smiled.

"'You are cordially invited to the wedding of Prince Kendric of house Gurun to Lady Lidmila of house Slabi to be held on BE 6830, beinor 196, shir-or 8.00 at the palace in Hejing,'" read Lord Knight Elendir, squinting. He had not been to Hejing since left at the command of Queen Darla almost three yen-ars ago. His contacts had long run out, along with the injections Lady Healer Darah gave him. Reading was becoming difficult. Well... at least his cipher still worked.

Closing the digital mail message on his computer, he dressed himself nicely. Elita was due to meet him in 0.6 shir-ors for their date. Looking in the mirror, Elendir starred at his eyes which had shifted in colour from his silvery grey to a dark grey. Tiny flecks of brown dotted the surface of his iris. If Elita had noticed the change in his eye colour after his contacts ran out, she never said a word. As Elendir headed out of his room at Seng Morgenmad, he wondered why.

All three of Beinan's moons illuminated the night sky – weakly from behind the thick upper atmosphere – but still glowing like soft jewels. Elita met Elendir on the street, 24.934 zhang 张 from Seng Morgenmad. Her gown, previously taken by Elendir to be a rich black, sparkled red-brown with gold highlights. Why hadn't Elendir seen this before?

Pleased to see Elita, he greeted her with a passionate kiss, "How are you, baobei? I missed you."

"It's only been two beinors, my love," replied Elita, kissing him back.

"Two shir-ors is too long. You enchant me."

"I am glad to hear that. I love you too."

"How much do you love me, Elita? I've told you so little of my past."

"What do I need to know of your past – except that it remains in your past?"

"I just received a digital mail message from my best friend from my youth. He's getting married and wants me to come to the ceremony. I haven't spoken to him for over three yen-ars, but I think I should go and help him if he needs anything. We were rather close for a time," informed Elendir.

"Where is the wedding?"

"Dong-Bei – Hejing to be exact," answered Elendir.

"I did not think you were really from here, Elendir. You don't come off as some poor medic dismissed from a bad paying job in Nan-li."

Elendir exhaled nervously, "How long have you known?"

"Since the moment I laid eyes on you at the Beinor 1 party where we met. Yours always was the bearing of a man of education – your lies about your past could not conceal the way you walk or the precision in your speech that comes from a learned man."

"... But you never said anything – to me or anyone else that I know of."

"If I wanted to tell your secret, Lord Elendir, I could have at any time. But why do that? Why ruin you like that? You've done nothing here to merit such treatment. Besides, it would displease the Shemai for me to ruin your life without cause."

"Does this mean you take me for a pagan, some barbarian who doesn't follow your faith?"

"You are many things, Lord Elendir – but not a barbarian – though I suppose some might think so. Do I mind that you are not house Shem or that you don't follow my religion? No. Why should I? You are a good man, no matter what some might think over your adherence to that other religion."

Elendir kissed her, "I love you. If you don't mind learning more secrets about me, it would bring me happiness for you to come and meet my friend on his day of joy."

Elita met his darkening eyes, "I would love to."

The palace in Hejing sparkled and radiated with excitement. Royal weddings were few and far between on Beinan, as they tend to be across the universe. Across Hejing, the people celebrated with displays of the Gurun and Slabi heraldries which flew in every configuration and appeared on public buildings, private houses, even from window apartments. All of Hejing buzzed with excitement. Their crown prince was about to be wed.

Inside the palace, Prince Kendric paced nervously. He finished dressing 0.3 shir-ors ago, but could not find anything pressing he needed to do. The door chimed to his apartment, "Yes?" The door opened to reveal Lord Elendir, Elita with him on his arm. Shock filled the prince's face, "Elendir?"

"I come as requested, Sire," bowed Elendir.

"Elendir! Elendir, it's been..."

"... Too long, old friend. Three yen-ars, eighty-nine beinors since I left your presence," reported Elendir coolly.

Wonder filled the prince's eyes, "You look different, old friend," Kendric approached Elendir and looked intensely into his eyes, "Your eyes, Elendir, your eyes!"

"What's wrong with his eyes?" asked Elita sternly.

Prince Kendric bowed to her politely, "No offense Lady..."

"... I am no lady, Your Highness. I am simply Elita, daughter of Sacerdos Antonius and Mirdur," Elita's eyes burned sharply.

Elendir observed what looked like hate in her eyes, an emotion he had never seen before, "Forgive me, Kendric, this is she whose hand I hope to deserve one yen-ar, Lady Elita. Perhaps she does not use a noble woman's title, but she is truly a lady, the woman I love."

"You never told her, I assume?"

"Who I really am? No, Your Highness. With all due respect to you and your lovely bride, I would prefer to keep it that way. My... work continues," hinted Elendir.

Kendric caught Elendir's meaning, "Of course."

Aware of Elita's presence, Elendir shifted the subject, "So who is your lovely bride, old friend? Who is this Lady Lidmila? I've never heard of her."

"Down in Xi-Nan Fang, you probably would not have. She is the daughter of Honourable Lady Alidir whom you met at your debriefing with the Great Council. Honourable Lady Alidir heads house Slabi. Both mother and daughter are advocates of Slabi and rather formidable in the court room."

"Is that how you met?"

"More or less," averted Kendric, still conscious of the hostility in Elita's body language towards him.

"Is there any service I may do for you now?" offered Elendir.

"Stand beside me during the service?"

Elendir bowed, 'I would be honoured."

The throne room glittered for the wedding of Prince Kendric of house Gurun to Lady Lidmila of house Slabi. Rows of chairs were assembled through two thirds of the massive throne room in three columns. Heraldic banners hung from the throne room's many columns and from the ceiling. It was a grand spectacle designed to awe those who saw it, including Elendir himself. As the companion of Elendir, Elita was seated near the front in a place of honour.

Queen Darla and Prince Consort Torr led the procession, sitting themselves down on their thrones followed by Lord Narvan and Lady Healer Althea, then Lord Knight Elendir and Princess Cathryn to the sounds of Beinarian shawms and flutes. Ceremoniously, Prince Kendric dutifully processed into the throne room. Finally, the red-haired and green-eyed bride herself, Lady Lidmila, took her stately walk through the glittering throne room. Standing at 57.93 cun 寸 tall, her famous grace and diplomatic demeanour flowed through her processional. This was a fiery and confident woman, a shrewd advocate, who knew from birth she was destined to become a royal – and willing to use her knowledge of the law to attain that goal. That Kendric did not love her nor that she did not love him was immaterial. She sought no wooing, only the power attained by marrying the crown prince. He would bed her – if only to keep house Gurun in power as the royal house.

High Priestess Aina appeared from out of the shadows of the many columns in the throne room, a vision of white and Beinarian silver. Aina wore her high priestess coronet with its triple moons reminding all of the magic and mysteries house Miyoo adeptly weld. As Aina opened the service, her gaze went to her older brother, Narvan, a man of great priestly heritage who elected to not pursue the priesthood – as was the right of all in house Miyoo. He chose to remain latent, internally powerful spiritually, but not interested in power. His interest, instead, was in passing his power to his progeny – yet equally insisted on a love match. Aina had no doubt he could achieve both aims. As Narvan took Althea's hand casually, Aina knew exactly where her brother's hopes for a match lay.

Aina read poetry from some of the oldest literature on Beinan, words about harmony, balance, and appreciation for nature. She reminded Kendric and Lidmila that power was not for the sake of power or the promotion of political agendas, but a burden, a mandate to serve society and embrace the down trodden. Blessing them, she asked for their vows which they gave, searching their souls to speak personally regarding their dedication towards the relationship and towards Beinan. Elendir watched Kendric as he cited his vows, the strain of this arranged marriage on the prince's face even as he saw the look of triumph and conquest on Lidmila's face as she said her vows.

Finally, Aina declared them wed and instructed Kendric to kiss Lidmila. Blessing them both, she declared them crown prince and princess-consort. Lidmila had won her royal prize.

At the reception, Elendir's eye was caught by a tall, willow like woman wearing a white konyn wool kirtle with narrow sleeves. Sadness was in her eyes, yet also a fiery resolve. Elendir approached her, "Milady, are you okay?"

"My love has wed another; should I be okay?" she replied.

Elendir took a deep breath, centering himself according to Ten-Arian discipline. "You know Prince Kendric?"

"This would have been my wedding day had the Great Council valued house Cashmarie as much as it values house Slabi; Kendric and I go back many yen-ars, Elendir. Yes, I know your name, of course. Who in Kendric's inner circle does not? I was Kendric's lady companion at your elevation to knighthood; I suppose you don't remember?"

Elendir stopped to think. Yes, he had seen this woman before, but never learned her name, "Come to think about it, I do remember you. But you never told me your name and since Princess Cathryn is, well, Cathryn...."

Lady Aurnia nodded, "Yes, I know. You were put in quite an untenable position that beinor I remember. Allow me to introduce myself formally then. I am Lady Aurnia of house Cashmarie. The Honourable Lady Kalar, chairwoman of the Great Council in BE 6328 during the Great Succession Crisis, was my foremother."

"Impressive pedigree, milady! So impressive, I must wonder why Kendric married this Lidmila of house Slabi."

"House Slabi has more power right now than house Cashmarie. It is as simple as that. Lidmila wanted the power much more than any in Cashmarie. We are a humble house with humble origins among those who worked on and near the oceans and seas of old home world. Despite all our illustrious technology and the egos you see with house Xing-li, we still value the feel of a ship on the open ocean and take pride in keeping commerce on Beinan flowing," detailed Aurnia.

"Do you sail, Lady Aurnia?"

"As often as I can. Few in my house don't know how to handle a sailing vessel of some size. I actually sailed the Amur river to get to the palace for this wedding."

"Do you love Kendric?"

"With all my heart – which is why I am here, despite how this all hurts inside. I know Kendric needs me, even if he cannot show it."

"Have you... been with him?"

Aurnia met his eyes, "No, not completely. He was concerned about his reputation and how it might affect Gurun's standing in the Council. Not for the lack of wanting to."

"What happens now, Aurnia?"

A tear fell from Aurnia's eye, 'I don't know."

As Aurnia wept, the reception sauntered onward for Prince Kendric and the newly proclaimed Princess Lidmila. A carafe of special wine was prepared and now served to prince and princess for the series of customary toasts that inevitably came with such an occasion. As the first of these commenced, Lidmila watched Kendric carefully to make sure he consumed the special wine before taking a sip herself. Confident he was drinking what she prepared for him, she drank deeply across the dozens of toasts offered and made sure his goblet remained ever full.

At the end of these toasts, the light in Kendric's eyes shifted. As he drank more and more, his expression grew more and more blank. Finally, when Lidmila felt he was sufficiently drugged, she ceremoniously excused them both and guided Kendric to the prepared marital bed.

No longer in control of himself, Kendric bedded his wife with a superhuman aggression and ardour, Lidmila smiling and enjoying every xiao-shir of it. The drug had worked on her as well, sending her into fits of ecstasy; no matter how he bedded her or how short a period of time between each round of sex, nothing could hurt her. She felt no pain. Even as dawn rose and light filled Kendric's royal apartment, he found himself unable to rest or stop in his persistent bedding of his bride. After eleven shir-ors of almost non-stop sex, the drug waned, but it was enough to achieve exactly what Lidmila wanted. Now no court in Beinan would deny her place as Kendric's consort, no matter what pretty thing the prince may take to his bed on his own accord. Finally, at shir-or 6.25, Kendric withdrew himself, exhausted. With no sleep in an entire beinor, he collapsed from his effort and fell into a deep but dreamless sleep. Lidmila slipped out of the bed, dressed herself, and headed for Kendric's office where a dark cloaked figure appeared out of the shadows. Pulling back the hood from her guest's face, Lidmila confirmed the identity of her guest – none other than Elita of house Shem. Elita held out a medical scanner, waving it over Princess Lidmila's body, then smiled. Without a word, she administered several transdermal injections, then bowed to the princess, and disappeared.

Elendir and Elita stayed as guests in the palace for several tense beinors. Elendir did not like lying to Elita; he loved her deeply. But here, in the palace, he had little choice but to be Lord Knight Elendir, even at the expense of his carefully guarded and carefully crafted cover story. Staying as the guest of his friends among the royal family put him on the knife's edge between his cover story and his true self, a position he held too much integrity to navigate.

This untenable position forced Elendir to delay his long overdue appointment with Lady Healer Darah. Using a series of indirect messages funnelled through brother knights at the palace who had also been invited by Queen Darla to attend the festivities, he finally, after six beinors, glided himself out of Elita's company and into Darah's office.

"How bad is it?" asked Elendir after twelve xiao-shirs of silent scanning by Lady Healer Darah.

"You disobeyed my instructions, Elendir," scolded Darah.

Elendir bowed, "Forgive me, lady healer. I lost track of time."

"Elendir, I've been hearing rumours that you are courting a young woman there, a Lady Elita?"

"Those are not rumours, Lady Darah. She came with me for the wedding."

"Why would you bring her? Surely you know that she is likely to figure out exactly who you are."

"How would I explain my coming for this wedding to her otherwise? I could hardly say, 'sweetheart, you must excuse me for several beinors while I attend the wedding of the crown prince of Beinan.' Either way she would have found out where I was going and why."

"Where, yes. But not why, not if you were as careful as you know to be."

"I am a sworn knight of Ten-Ar; lying is not something I know how to do, especially towards someone I love."

"I understand that, believe me, I do. But your mission is perilous enough without such complications. Elendir, I know you mean well, but unless you take more care to safeguard against the subtle dangers around you, I fear it will cost you your life."

"What am I to do? I am no spy."

"Unfortunately, my dear knight that is exactly the way you must conduct yourself if you expect to both complete your investigation and survive it. You must not give those responsible for the violence spreading across our planet an easy opening to destroy you. I have little doubt that even with your best precautions someone there knows EXACTLY who you are and who your parents were. I fear the moment you realize who these people are your value to them will cease. When that happens, doubt not that they will strike and snuff out your life."

"How am I otherwise? How bad have I injured myself by my failure to return as specified?"

"Your cells are damaged, breaking down genetically. Your sight... Elendir, you may never see properly again. I'm detecting damage to your tertiary omicron sequence on your corcra braite and your neodrach braite in your retina. Repairing the damage might be possible with gene therapy, but we are talking about twenty or thirty treatments over the course of a single yen-ar. Miss just once during the treatment and none of it will help. Your choices, it would seem, are to either abandon your quest for his highness with an excuse to send your Elita back to Xi-Nan Fang alone – or return there, knowing full well the damage may be irreparable."

"Is there something I can do to slow the progression at all?"

"Not without completely blowing your cover even more than you have. Healers down there should be able to administer some sort of assistance – but then they would know exactly who you are."

Elendir took a deep breath, "I still have not found the answers I seek. What choice is there but to return as soon as possible and discover whatever I may...even if it blinds me?"

"Merry natal beinor, my love," smiled Elita as she entered Elendir's bedroom holding a tray full of Belarian waffles with Nara berry syrup, kelan fruit, and the Beinarian version of hot chocolate.

"Thank you," grinned Elendir, his brown eyes wide with astonishment at the unexpected feast offered to him on the bed tray. "That looks...amazing. All my favourite breakfast foods and more! Wow."

"Seventy yen-ars is quite a milestone."

"Yes...it is," answered Elendir thoughtfully. Had it really been almost ten yen-ars since his elevation to knighthood? What had he accomplished in all that time? Had he let Elita distract him from his quest? As he accepted the breakfast prepared and chatted casually with Elita, his heart sank. Where had the yen-ars gone? Had he wasted his best chance to solve the mystery of Devon and Keelia's sacrifice by working in the mines and courting the lovely Elita?

"I have another surprise for you, my love? I've received approval from Sacerdos Antonius, my father, to wed you should you wish to ask me," winked Elita.

"Do you want to marry me, Elita?"

"With all my heart."

"I am not house Shem, Elita. As no doubt you discovered long ago; I am house Ten-Ar."

"I know."

"I don't have the broach for betrothal I need to formally ask you and seal you," confessed Elendir.

"You don't need it."

"W-what?"

"You don't need it. We aren't in your beloved Hejing; we're in Amba Narel. House Shem doesn't follow the same customs as the rest of the planet. As long as my father marries us, you don't need that broach, only my consent to be married and the requisite bedding of your intended," flirted Elita.

"Then will you?"

Elita removed the tray from his lap and put it on a nearby table, then clasped her hands behind his neck, kissing him, "Of course. But first you must drink your hot chocolate; I made it especially for you."

Nodding, he kissed her, and then took the cup offered him, sipping it contently. Elita watched Elendir consume his drink fully before kissing him, his eager hands quickly finding their way under her skirt to her thighs. Elita unlaced her gown, exposing her breasts to Elendir, then let the drug inside her and now inside him take control.

"Are you okay, Elita? I didn't hurt you, did I?" asked Elendir after six shir-ors of non-stop lovemaking. In his soul, Elendir knew something else was controlling him, but he was unable to assert any sort of personal control over his body.

"More. Give me more," begged Elita. Elendir panted, feeling his body ready to accommodate her, and then continued his lovemaking.

Seven beinors passed. Though Elendir returned to work in the mine, the moment he saw Elita again, he became equally possessed as he was on his natal beinor, bedding her non-stop for all but 350 xiao-shirs during which he slept shallowly. Though physically exhausted and drained from both sleep deprivation and work, the drug would not let Elendir rest. He had to bed his intended every xiao-shir, as if he would die if he failed in the superhuman task of so much intercourse. Each time he tried to rest, Elita seduced him, begging him for more.

Finally, on the tenth anniversary of his elevation to knighthood, the drug wore off, plunging Elendir into a deep and highly exhausted sleep so deep that only a medical scanner could discern that life remained in him.

For three beinors Elendir slept without rousing. When he awoke, Elita was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she too needed rest after so much intercourse.

"Did he fall for the drug, my love?" asked Eletar.

"Of course," laughed Elita. "He drank the drug without hesitation."

"You've done well," smiled Eletar.

"How well?" flirted Elita.

Eletar picked up a medical scanner, "Ummm... let's see." Scanning Elita's body, Eletar could hardly conceal his excitement, "You are with child, my love. Twins from the looks of it, a boy and a girl."

"How far along?"

"Not far, but we can fix that," replied Eletar, picking up several syringes and administering the drugs inside, "These growth accelerants should bring them up to about 200 beinors worth of growth within the shir-or, guaranteeing no one can terminate the pregnancy safely."

"How can I thank you, my husband?"

"I think after five yen-ars of abstaining from your bed so you could dispatch our enemy you know EXACTLY what I want," flashed Eletar, unlacing her kirtle.

"As long as we don't undo my hard work."

Eletar slipped Elita's gown off her breasts and down to her feet, her nipples glistening as her hormones shifted from the new life inside her, "If anything, the hormone shift of your pleasure will only enhance the injections," He slipped his mouth over her left nipple and sucked ravenously.

"Then take me, husband. Make up for all the lost beinors and yen-ars," she cried. Eletar plunged himself into her as the injections took hold, increasing her need to satisfy him.

# Chapter Six: Choire Ar Cerridwen

While Elita indulged Eletar, Elendir found the drug that so possessed him before had finally worn off. Almost dazed, he dressed himself, mindful of his duty as Corann and Anlei's descendant. Weakly and still in a bit of a daze, he strode out into the morning air into the largely empty streets. A fabku chirped from a tree branch above his head. Elendir watched the bird dance among the branches.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" asked a young woman in a pale blue bliaut. "I love watching the fabku...it's remarkable a population has found a way to survive here. They are much more common in Dong-Bei of course; well, actually more common everywhere but in Xi-Nan Fang. That makes them precious."

"Life is precious; we strip mine Xi-Nan Fang for its energy selfishly. We can do better, do it cleaner and without brown eye syndrome. There's no reason for people to suffer," agreed Elendir.

"Spoken like a true follower of Abka Gahun," smiled the young woman, pulling out the pendant she hid under her bliaut.

Elendir starred with shock...the pendant was of none other than those given to vowed priestesses of house Brigid, an elite sub-house within Miyoo, "W-w-who are you?"

"Aisling, of the line of Anlei and Corann," bowed the young priestess. "Like Princess Consort Wehe, I was accepted by house Brigid for my...skills in serving the goddesses."

"How did you know I was here?"

"I've been searching for you for quite some time; High Priestess Aina sends her greetings."

Elendir bowed, "Merry meet. May the goddesses bless you."

Aisling looked around her, "It is a pleasure lord knight, but the area is... dangerous. Please. Follow me."

Lady Priestess Aisling led Elendir across Amba Narel to what looked like a small cave on the outskirts of town. Plunging herself 43.758 cun 寸 into the cave, Aisling's deft fingers pressed a hidden button. Three rows of tiny lights only 1.03 cun 寸 in diameter switched on. Aisling looked up to make sure Elendir was right behind her, "This way."

Elendir followed Aisling as she strode confidently through the cave, obviously knowing its passages very well. After traveling 0.8345 li 里 from the cave entrance along several twists, turns, rises, and falls, the cave opened up to a central chamber 17.6345 zhang 张 wide illuminated by bright lights hidden in the irregular cave ceiling. Four smaller passages radiated from the chamber's back wall, the light dimming as each one drifted away from it. In the centre of the chamber stood a table hewn from solid rock, its surface shimmering from its natural crystal faces along with five ornately carved chairs padded with a blue-violet cushions embroidered in silver-like thread. Elendir gasped in awe. Aisling smiled, "Welcome to Choire Ar Cerridwen."

Elendir explored the chamber, "What is this place?"

"It serves many purposes. It is temple, archive, refuge, and so much more for those who honour the ways of our ancestors and still believe in the goddesses. Here we keep the records that house Shem would destroy. Here we keep and teach that which others would suppress. Here we search for truth – inner and outer."

"Why bring me here?"

"You uphold your vows given at your knighting, do you not?"

Elendir blinked fiercely, stunned by the question, "Y-y-of...course I do. I may have let time slip away from me, but I'm still the son of Devon and Keelia of House Ten-Ar. I am still of the line of Princess Elaine, daughter of Anlei and Corann's son, King Lyr IV. Corann's own circlet, given to him on BE 6326, beinor 120 at his knighting, is under the guardianship of High Priestess Aina while I am here."

"THAT is why you are here, Lord Knight Elendir. Honouring their memory and living their legacy in manner true to all they believed in...THAT makes this place as much for you as it is the others of house Brigid who have longed toiled here in Xi-Nan Fang. We are descendent daughters and sons of High Priestess Wehe, Priestess Cordelia, and Lady Priestess Ecter, just to name a few."

"Is the legend true, Lady Aisling, that Janus, son of Cariadoc, tested his villainy on his sister Ecter?"

"Yes, it was Lady Priestess Ecter and her daughter Miriam who founded this...special place and sanctified it. She began our work here. It was thanks to her that the records were kept, records I know you must see."

Elendir bowed respectfully, "Then, milady, I am at your service. Show me what I do not know that my eyes, though blinded with brown eye syndrome, may yet see."

Lady Priestess Aisling led Elendir down the left most passage radiating out from the centre chamber. After walking 18.045 zhang 张, Elendir noticed the walls around him were filled with niches carefully carved out of the solid rock, each one of them filled with books and scrolls representing a dozen styles of paper, parchment, and vellum. Many of them looked hundreds of yen-ars old. While Beinarian society had long favoured digital media, a tradition of recording history, important government documents, and especially genealogies in physical books and scrolls had survived from original home world. These records were precious, perhaps representing documents and histories surviving nowhere else on Beinan.

Though political data purges were relatively rare in Beinarian history, they were known to happen, particularly when history became inconvenient to a leader or group of leaders. These purges were far more common on original home world than they were on Beinan itself, creating gaps in Beinarian history and loss of certain long revered ancient books and guides. House Slabi was the first house to protest such purges, taking it upon themselves in OW 24783 to transcribe many historical works onto vellum and parchment. Elendir looked at a couple titles passing near him. The name of famous Slabi archivist and historian Istoricar Arhivar appeared on dozens of the books near him.

After three hundred xiao-shirs of walking, Lady Aisling stopped and pulled out from the archive walls three folios, each of them three cun 寸 thick, and handed them to Elendir. Finding another folio forty cun 寸 away on the opposite wall, Aisling motioned for Elendir to begin the trek back to the central chamber.

Reaching the table Elendir had previously noted for its beauty, Aisling and Elendir put the folios down. Pulling up a chair, Aisling rummaged through the first volume, "De filiis Domini Eques Cariadoc," deep in thought. Would Elendir understand what she showed him or would he, as a descendent of Cariadoc, be offended and reject what was in front of him?

After ten xiao-shirs, Aisling put the tome in front of Elendir, "This book is a record of all the descendants of Lord Knight Cariadoc and how they relate to one another in time and relationship. Look carefully, lord knight; you will recognize many names."

Elendir scrolled through the careful genealogical map, finding first his own line from Lord Knight Corann and Princess Anlei through their son, King Lyr IV and Queen Eleanor of House Xing-li to their eldest daughter Elaine and her daughter Morgaine, Morgaine's daughter Keelia, and down to him. Nothing unusual there; except that he had never seen this information on parchment before. Scanning, his eyes went upward to Cariadoc's other children. He noticed Lady Priestess Ecter, Lady Priestess Miriam, Lord Kaleb, and Lord Janus – a name retained in the record as "lord" despite Queen Isabelle's official sanctions against him for attempting to rape and impregnate Princess Anlei. Here, in "De filiis Domini Eques Cariadoc," Janus retained his nobility, passing that nobility down to his son Teber, his grandson Lord Tareen, great-grandson Lord Elinal, and great-grandsons Lord Keleth and Lord Antonius. Antonius? As in Lady Elita's own father? Elita was great-great-granddaughter of Janus? Elendir gasped as he saw Elita's name as the daughter of Antonius, "Elita is a direct descendent of Janus? Does she know this?"

Aisling nodded solemnly, "Of course she does. She's proud of that fact; though I am sure she took care to conceal it from you. Now lord knight, look again at who else is descended of Janus."

Elendir looked at the line of Elita's uncle Keleth. Keleth had a son, Morwin, and a daughter...Dell. Dell? As in the same Dell he had met in Nan-li City? "Aisling, this has to be a mistake. It says here that Keleth, son of Elinal, had a son and a daughter, Lord Morwin and Lady Dell. Is Lady Dell a resident of Nan-li City?"

Aisling opened the book in front of her, "Subcriptio nativitatis," Flipping through the pages she showed Elendir Lady Dell's record of birth, "This record...will tell you what you need."

Elendir looked at the parchment. Dell, female, 66 cun 寸 tall, born BE 6691, beinor 13, shir-or 4.824 to Lord Keleth of house Shem. No mother name recorded. Place of birth: Central Nan-li Healing Centre. The healing centre address followed – none other than the same address Elendir knew to be the healing centre his father Devon had served and died in. Looking back at "De filis Domini Eques Cariadoc," Elendir then noticed the line of Morwin, son of Keleth. "On BE 6767, beinor 48 Lord Morwin wed Lady Durwen of the line of Lord Kaleb." Kaleb? As in the second son of Cariadoc? Was it possible the Lady Durwen whose venom wounded him so much in Nan-li was also of the line of Cariadoc? Elendir read further, "BE 6771, beinor 5 birth of Eletar, first born son of Morwin and Durwen. BE 6801, beinor 12 birth of Alatar, son of Morwin and Lady Durwen. Alatar? Somehow that name felt familiar...but how?

"Aisling, what is the connection between the children of Morwin and all you have shown me?"

"Eletar is a resident of Amba Narel. I know him personally, enough to keep my distance. In BE 6318 there was a grand wedding for him and his bride, a woman I think you know, Lady Elita."

"Elita? So that is why she kept turning my proposals for betrothal down—until my natal beinor, nine beinors ago. She insisted that she did not need the broach of house Ten-Ar to become my bride, that if we simply sealed our relationship physically that would be enough for house Shem. Then... then... it is all blur to me now. Something took a hold of me, Aisling, I could not stop. We were... never intimate before nine beinors ago. I don't know what possessed me. I..."

"... fell prey to Lady Elita and Lord Eletar's plot, I suspect," completed Aisling. "She never told you she was married because you would have never consented to her will otherwise. Look at how you have spent the last ten yen-ars, Elendir. Look at your eyes. If not for their trap you would have found all of this quickly; house Brigid would have helped you solve the mystery within forty beinors of your arrival."

"Why didn't you approach me until now?"

"We couldn't, not without revealing our presence – and our records – to the descendants of Janus."

Elendir collapsed onto the table, "This is all my fault; my lack of foresight, my willingness to believe she really loved me. How could I be such a fool?"

"Believing in others is not folly, dear knight. It's part of your innocence, your virtue. You are a good and kindly man. No one except your enemies in house Shem believes otherwise. But Elendir, I fear for your safety. Elita and Eletar want only one thing: to avenge their forefather for the perceived injustice their line has faced since Queen Isabelle banished Janus to this place. Their revenge began long ago, as I must show you now."

"There's more?" cried Lord Knight Elendir.

"Yes; look and see, young knight," nodded Aisling, opening the final volume and flipping to page 287.

Elendir started from the top of the page, reading aloud, "Record of the demise of Central Nan-li Healing Centre. Investigation by Lord Mukhtar, son of Kaleb of the line of Kaleb. On BE 6770, beinor 92 Lord  Morwin carried out the first volley of his detailed plans to destroy houses Gurun and Ten-Ar when he and his sister Dell entered the healing centre on pretences of cardiac arrest and atrial arterial atrophy. Lord Healer Devon of house Ten-Ar, a known descendent of King Lyr IV was summoned to diagnose Morwin's symptoms. While distracted, Lady Dell planted a time delayed explosive underneath Devon's medical diagnostic station, and then pretended to require refreshment, excusing herself from the diagnostic chamber. While healers under Devon's direction were distracted, Lady Dell planted explosives across the healing centre before disappearing from healing centre grounds. Upon discovery that Morwin's symptoms were psychosomatic, Lord Healer Devon discharged Morwin. Eight xiao-shirs after Morwin left the healing centre complex, the planted explosives detonated, killing Lord Devon and his associates."

Elendir's heart sank. These were the answers he had sought for his entire life suddenly revealed in one candid, if not careless, chronicle. Overwhelmed, Elendir wept, his body shaking with grief.

Lady Priestess Aisling felt for him, but could not succumb to her feelings, "Elendir, Elendir we must leave with this evidence, all of it, before Elita returns to your dwelling. When she discovers you are missing, she will know you have found something and once that happens, your life is forfeit. She will not grant you the quick death of your father or your mother. She will make you suffer for yen-ars, her prisoner, until she tires of the game and kills you."

Elendir met her eyes, and then closed them, his lifetime of Ten-Arian training asserting itself. Nodding, he gathered the books in front of him, and then followed Aisling as she fled Choire Ar Cerridwen. Tapping on a pocket computer, Elendir engaged his low altitude shuttle's engines. As they emerged from the cave, the shuttle slid to the ground in front of them, its hatch opening. Running up the ramp, they disappeared into the shuttle, its hatch closing suddenly and the shuttle itself rising swiftly upward and away from Amba Narel in a single xiao-shir. As he set the navigational controls for Dong-Bei, Lord Knight Elendir thought these yen-ars with Lady Elita were now behind him. He thought wrong.

The temple of Abka Gahun on the island of Ben-Ar near the city of Bira Hecen glittered against the Amba Mederi Ocean. Against its cliff faces a large white bird of prey offered a sort of fish with both fins and tentacles to her tiny, newly hatched chicks, breaking the freshly killed aquatic meal into bites small enough for them, her mate circling protectively overhead to guard against danger before landing on the precipice himself and helping her feed their young. Light twinkled on the green-violet water as waves fuelled by three moons rose up to break upon the small island.

At the temple's docking port two-hundred-seventy-three zhang 张 from the shoreline, low altitude shuttles parked with difficulty. Ben-Ar was a small island with a small population of mostly vowed priestesses and priests and a much larger population of birds and land animals; parking was limited.

Inside the temple, Lady Priestess Aisling dressed in her private chamber, her pale blue bliaut glistening with tiny white gems embroidered onto the delicate fabric. On her head she set the Miyoo heraldic circlet given to her at her ordination, its silver-like metal newly polished. Dressed, she knelt at a small altar in a niche alcove and prayed, sitting in vigil for what was to come.

"Laudate domina luna. Laudate deam terra. Laudate deam albus falcones. De hac benedixit matutinus," sang the processional of priestesses as they filed into the great sanctuary of the temple, the lead priestess carrying the heraldic banner of house Miyoo in front of her face. The hymn continued, "Sea, beidh mé ag onóir an bandia anseo. I fheiceann tú mé a aghaidh naofa. A bheith beannaithe an lá seo ag teacht. Lig dúinn teacht ar gach ghrá."

As the song finished, High Priestess Aina rose from her seat on the raised dais that was the focal point of the sanctuary. The line of priestesses shifted in perfect step to the left and right until Lady Priestess Aisling alone faced High Priestess Aina. Aisling bowed her head respectfully. Aina smiled discreetly, "Lady Priestess Aisling, why do you come before all these witnesses?"

"Your Grace, I come out of the calling of my heart to be joined to one of house Ten-Ar whose love and dedication inspires me as a soul," answered Aisling ritually.

"Then let house Ten-Ar come that the joining shall be forged, that out of love and hope your heart will be glad and at peace," proclaimed Aina. At her signal, flutes and shawms began to play. From an unseen alcove, a second procession commenced, the ornate sword upon a red field heraldic banner of house Ten-Ar emerging from the shadows. A dozen knights of Ten-Ar marched in two narrow columns, their sword scabbards shining brightly in the morning light, their blue-white gemmed circlets sparkling as if answering a question posed by the stained glass around them. Behind these knights strode a single column of healers of Ten-Ar with their ceremonial circlets of Beinarian silver and with four Ten-Arian star rubies evenly distributed around the circle. To nearly everyone assembled, the Ten-Arian star rubies appeared bright red to normal Beinarian eyes, but a reddish purple to Elendir, despite the tinted contact lenses on his eyes intended to help him see in a penta-chromatic world.

Behind the Ten-Arian knights and healers honoured enough to join the procession strode Lord Knight Elendir, his blue-white gemmed heritage circlet that had been Lord Knight Corann's sparkling in the light, retrieved upon his return to Dong Bei from High Priestess Aina's keeping. In honour of Devon and Keelia, Elendir wore the same Ten-Arian ruby pendant worn at his elevation to knighthood upon his white konyn wool tunic.

Though contrary to custom, Lady Healer Althea walked behind him, her star-ruby healer circlet resting comfortably on her head and complimenting Elendir's crimson Ten-Arian cloak, the same one worn at his elevation. Together, brother and sister were resplendent in their formal Ten-Arian attire and circlets, a dazzling array of Ten-Arian glory that outshined even Aisling's own, simple Miyoo beauty.

As the procession reached High Priestess Aina's dais, the columns filed left and right, each knight and each healer taking his or her place next to a Miyoo priestess in a grand spectacle. The heraldic banners were placed behind Aina on the dais, facing Lady Priestess Aisling, Lady Healer Althea, and Lord Knight Elendir ceremonially. With Althea between Aisling and Elendir, the trio joined hands and made a collective bow before the high priestess.

Aina turned to Elendir, "Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar, why do you come to this assembly in this sacred place?"

"I come to join myself to she who captured my heart with her beauty, her wisdom, and her devotion to all that is good and holy," declared Elendir.

"Elendir, son of Keelia of the healers of Ten-Ar, is this lady here in this sanctuary?"

"She is."

"Proclaim her name."

"Lady Priestess Aisling of house Miyoo."

"Do you offer yourself to Lady Aisling of your own accord and in accord with the traditions of house Miyoo? Do you promise that by your life or death to safeguard her and by extension, this house, from all threats the beinors and yen-ars to come may bring? Do you promise to love her more dearly than your own flesh and your own needs for all the beinors that remain of your mutual lives?" queried Aina.

Elendir knelt, drawing his sword and laying it carefully in his upright palms, "By my life or death, I offer myself. May this sword ever guard her and house Miyoo in this life and beyond. May the love I feel this xiao-shir never wane but only wax. I offer all that I am and all that I will become to her and to house Miyoo. So mote it be."

"Althea, daughter of Keelia of the healers of Ten-Ar, do you release your guardianship over your brother that he may take himself she whose love will never compete with yours, but compliment the unbreakable bond of sister and brother?"

Althea knelt, placing her left hand upon Elendir's cloaked shoulder, "With gladness do I release my guardianship that my brother may find joy and peace." Rising, she took a step backward, her role completed.

High Priestess Aina nodded at Althea's eloquence. She focused her gaze now upon Lady Aisling, "Lady Aisling, do you accept the offer of marriage and spoken vows extended to you by Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar?"

Lady Priestess Aisling stepped into the physical space previously occupied by Althea, taking Elendir's left hand with her own left hand while he remained kneeling, "Gladly do I accept the offer of marriage from Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar. In acceptance, I vow to remain ever at his side in heart, spirit, mind, and body. I vow to never permit the fortunes of the beinors and yen-ars to come to ever diminish the love I feel for him this xiao-shir, nor permit the ghosts of our mutual pasts to haunt us or come between us. Now and for always. So mote it be."

Aina turned to Argul, the same priest who had accompanied Elendir to Bira Hecen. Argul gently handed Aina a braided cord in Beinarian silver and Beinarian brass, the triple moon of house Miyoo at its terminals. Aina wrapped the cord loosely around Elendir and Aisling's wrists and joined hands, "Before these witnesses have you made and accepted vows of matrimony. Therefore, by the power vested in me as high priestess of Beinan, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may seal your marriage with a kiss." With the signal made, Elendir rose and kissed his bride passionately. Aisling returned his kisses for a full xiao-shir. Out of breath, they parted their lips and faced the gathered assembly. Aina motioned to the small gathering, "Honourable knights and healers of Ten-Ar, vowed and student priestesses and priests of Miyoo, esteemed guests from across Beinan, I give you Elendir and Aisling, husband and wife."

Their hands still joined by the cord, Elendir and Aisling strode out of the sanctuary together in jubilation as husband and wife as Beinarian trumpets heralded them – and their new life together.

Bira Hecen bustled as the bridal shuttle containing Elendir and Aisling docked near the garden restaurant hosting their reception, Althea's own shuttle just two xiao-shirs behind them. White trellis fences lined the edge of the restaurant garden, the Amba Mederi Ocean visible from the garden's outdoor seating at just 0.2617 li 里 away, its blue sand beaches and green-violet waves easily visible to all. The Beinarian version of roses sprawled upon many of the trellises and along the restaurant's walls in white, blue-white, lavender, and yellow-green. A fragrant cross between sage and lavender grew up between the "rose" bushes, adding to the intoxicating aroma. Blue-grey marble tables formed a trapezoid along the fences and restaurant walls surrounded by chairs whose backs were shaped as isosceles triangles terminated with Beinarian rubies cut into trapezoidal prisms. Heraldic banners for house Miyoo and house Ten-Ar hung behind the high table.

As Elendir and Aisling entered the garden, Althea three steps behind them, they took in the beautiful work done by the restaurant staff. Meandering through the garden were their one hundred forty two guests representing friends, family, mentors, and notable members of the Great Council, most enjoying a wide range of aperitifs served on small tables scattered aesthetically around the garden. At tables along three of the four trapezoid sides, wait staff served a rosé sparkling wine, a golden mead-like ale, and kelan juice as beverage choices. Next to the high table, a fountain bubbled with Beinarian hot chocolate for the customary bridal toast. Elendir looked at Aisling. Wonder filled her face. This was even more beautiful than she imagined and more wonderful than she dreamed it could be. Elendir hugged his wife affectionately.

From among the crowd, a couple approached them: Prince Kendric and his wife, Princess Lidmila, "Congratulations, Old Friend. It pleases me to see you finally wed after all these yen-ars of pain and disappointment."

Elendir ignored protocol and hugged his friend, "Kendric. So glad you could come, Your Highness. It's been too long."

Kendric nodded, "It always is between your work now with house Miyoo and mine as the heir apparent, it seems like we never get much of a respite."

"How are your parents?"

"The queen has been troubled by the worsening conditions across our planet. My father is a kind and compassionate man, a devoted husband and he's been the sort of father every nobleman dreams of, but nothing can take the care away from mother. She's responsible, devoted, and cares about the pain and suffering that seems to be spreading across Beinan inexplicably."

Lady Aisling eyed Princess Lidmila suspiciously, but addressed the prince, "Did you get the report we sent you concerning the investigation on Xi-Nan Fang?"

Kendric nodded discretely, "I did. As a friend, I wept in my office when I read it. These events planet wide have hit you even harder than they've hit my mother."

"We are not alone. We lost one of our greatest religious leaders in Nan-li that beinor," reminded Aisling sadly.

Kendric looked deeply into Elendir's eyes with worry, "Your eyes, Elendir. Must this terrorism cost you your sight as well?"

Elendir straightened his posture proudly, "I am a knight of Ten-Ar, vowed to offer my life in service to others; what is my eye sight in comparison to what we learned?"

Kendric's eyes misted as he continued to look into Elendir's eyes, "It is still not right. The only way you will ever see properly again is to leave Beinan forever, exiled on some primitive world with a yellow sun for the rest of your long life. You deserve so much more than that. To be caught between de-facto blindness and exile; you've done nothing to deserve that."

"Rarely is suffering deserved, Your Highness. Those that do deserve pain rarely feel it, or if they do, they fail to learn from it. Much is gained through sorrow and hardship. When I was a squire, my mentors tried to teach me that lesson. Isn't odd how it takes a disability before I could understand that wisdom."

"Let us not focus on our sorrows this day," declared Princess Lidmila, "but rejoice in your joining as husband and wife. This is a wedding reception, a time for celebration. Shall we not celebrate?"

Prince Kendric smirked; his wife was right, "Of course. In that spirit, I have someone to introduce you both to. Come." Beckoning the bride and groom deeper into the garden, Kendric led them to a boy seventeen yen-ars old with the look of an Earthling eight year old and pale green eyes standing close to Queen Darla, "This is our son, Prince Ohtaraha and heir apparent after me. My mother...I believe you know already."

Elendir bowed, "Your Majesty. It is a pleasure as always to see you."

Queen Darla raised her hand which Elendir kissed chivalrously, "You have served our people well, Lord Knight Elendir...and chosen one favoured among house Miyoo as your bride. This is well done and well deserved after so many trials and losses in your life."

"We are all suffering, Your Majesty, as long as the terror remains, as long as more children lose their parents and more parents lose their children to this...madness that has battered our people for seventy nine yen-ars."

"Perhaps I am the wrong person to tell you and, no doubt, Kendric already has reminded you...put aside the pain and sorrow...just for this beinor. Let nothing further remind you of the past. Your future is bright now. You have found true love, a love that transcends time and space. It is a rare gift. Treasure this day," commanded the queen.

"I hear and obey, Your Majesty. Let us celebrate and enjoy all that so many have prepared," affirmed Elendir, motioning for the royal family to join him at the high table. With the bride and groom seated, their guests took their places at the prepared tables as wait staff served them a feast fit for a prince – or a queen. After finishing this course, the toasts began, starting with the customary toast of Beinarian hot chocolate at the head table. Musicians played. Dancing filled the centre of the garden. The hypnotic sounds of the Amba Mederi Ocean filled the background and everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest. It was new beinor, a new life for Elendir and Aisling.

# Chapter Seven: Ghosts of the Past

"Great comes the morning. Out of quiet jubilation. Wisdom is yours. If you can find the way. Teach the healing arts. Nurture the wounded. It is a great hour. For healing everywhere," sang the assembly in the cavernous central temple at the Ten-Arian monastery joyfully.

As they sang, Lady Abbess Cara led a procession that included Lady Healer Althea and Lord Knight Elendir. Lady Priestess Aisling sat near the front of the large gathering, along with knights and healers of Ten-Ar. Prince Consort Torr of house Xing-li sat in a special place of honour, watching the processional and thinking back to his own youth when the focus of his beinors was on his medical studies to become a great healer of Xing-li. That unusual choice, to pursue healing instead of warfare and space exploration, brought him to Princess Darla in her time of greatest sorrow and need.

While most healers chose to focus on physical healing, Torr made healing the mind his priority, a choice that put him in frequent conference with Beinan's clergy from both Miyoo and Shem. When Darla accepted his proposal of marriage, this experience proved useful, making him Darla's private counsellor in all things – especially after her coronation.

This beinor was not about him, however, but about young Lady Healer Althea, sister to his son Kendric's best friend Elendir. As the song finished, Torr looked at Althea and Elendir wistfully. Althea wore the same white and crimson ceremonial bliaut as Lady Abbess Cara whose age had begun to show in her body. At a mere ninety yen-ars old, Althea was young, but nearly the appropriate age for what was expected of her now.

Cara took her place on the raised dais and addressed the assembly, "Healers, knights, squires, and kin of house Ten-Ar, honoured guests, we come here to this beautiful temple here at the Ten-Arian monastery to honour the work of Lady Healer Althea, daughter of Lord Healer Devon and Lady Healer Keelia, both of our house Ten-Ar. As a healer, Althea has proven herself expert across the healing arts and sciences, willing to use whatever methods are best suited for each of her patients. True to a leader of this house, her heart is for noble and common Beinarian alike, regardless of wealth or class. All who come to her for help are accepted – even those who might begrudge her for reasons known and unknown. Althea is a role model to this house.

"For that reason, I have chosen her to lead and guide us for the remaining yen-ars of her life or until she finds she is no longer of sound mind, body, and heart to continue her journey as abbess of Ten-Ar. Lady Althea, are you ready?" asked Cara.

Althea nodded, "I am, Your Grace." Stepping up onto the dais, Althea knelt in front of Cara, meeting Cara's eyes respectfully.

Lady Abbess Cara laid her hands on the crown of Althea's head, "Do you swear by the goddesses of Beinan and by your soul within to heal without prejudice, study without wavering, teach without reserve, and lead without pride? Do you swear to follow the Ten-Arian code of ethics at all times, harming none while nurturing all? And will you guide our house in prosperity and adversity for the edification of all life – on this world and across the universe?"

"I swear," affirmed Althea.

Lady Cara turned to Elendir, "Lord Knight Elendir?" At Cara's signal Elendir handed Cara the silver and brass circlet handed to him by healer of Ten-Ar, its star rubies sparkling in the morning light. This circlet, it was said, was first made over three thousand yen-ars ago, passed down carefully across generations of Ten-Arian abbesses as the symbol of their office. Althea breathed hard as she felt Cara, abbess no longer place the circlet on her head, "I name you Lady Abbess Althea, Healer of Ten-Ar,"

At a signal from Lady Cara, the newly crowned abbess rose and faced the assembly, "As Lady Abbess Cara has served you, so shall I endeavour to follow in her footsteps, succeeding but never replacing the leadership she has brought to our order," With the ritual complete, Althea relaxed. The coronet felt odd on her head, but she felt ready, especially with her doting brother so near. In a nearby chamber, the healers of Ten-Ar hosted a small but elegant reception for the new abbess. Elendir hovered near Althea protectively, even in the cloistered safely of Ten-Ar. For who could tell what the future would hold and how long any of them would survive?

Prince Kendric paced anxiously at the palace docking port, his eyes stained with tears, his body visibly shaking. A low altitude shuttle carefully pulled into the docking port, its angular exterior glistening from the subtle docking port lightning. Outside, a fierce storm raged. An upper atmosphere hurricane twice the size of the hurricane that raged outside of the Ten-Arian monastery during Lord Knight Corann's "battle" with Lord Knight Bevin descended from the upper atmosphere, bringing rain and elevating the already high tides created by an unusual convergence of Beinan's three moons. This was a dark morning – literally and metaphorically. Thunder and lightning raged just outside the enclosed sections of the docking port. A torrent of green-violet rain pounded the ground which seemed to shake from the impact, flooding the ground foliage across two hundred sixty square li 里 and elevating the Amur River to flood stage.

Hastily, the shuttle hatch opened, opening a new pathway for the flooding rain to enter the docking port and, by extension, the palace itself. With rain coursing around the shuttle, the upper and lower shuttle hatches slid open, its ramp extending painfully slow in comparison to the flood. Lord Knight Elendir leapt out of the shuttle, his left foot touching the flood before the ramp could touch the ground. Rain filled Elendir's humble black leather shoes and soaked his feet and ankles. Behind him stepped Lady Priestess Aisling and Lady Abbess Althea, each of them in their most humble of raiments. On a simple belt Althea clipped a case filled with medical instruments. In her heart, she prayed she would not need to use them. Prince Kendric bowed to his friends as he motioned a steward to close the exterior door to the docking port in hopes of limiting the flood inside the palace, "Thank you all for coming so quickly."

"We hear and obey the command of our prince," answered Lady Abbess Althea.

"I pray I do not need you, any of you, save for moral support. But I fear the worst. Come," motioned Kendric. Obeying, the trio followed the prince, keeping up with him as his walk transformed to a run through palace corridors rarely used by the court or palace staff. Time was of the essence.

Kendric led his esteemed friends to Princess Lidmila's apartment. The doors separating her private garden swung open unexpectedly, admitting the deluge battering the garden from the hurricane into the otherwise beautiful and carefully ornamented abode. Carefully but swiftly Kendric led his friends down the carefully laid out paths to a great tree located twelve zhang 张 from Lidmila's gazebo, a near perfect replica of the same gazebo in Kendric's garden where Lord Knight Corann attempted to propose to Princess Anlei. But unlike the pale white Nara wood of Anlei's and now Kendric's gazebo, this gazebo was stained a pale blue that barely displayed the natural grain in the wood. Green-violet rained poured down from the gazebo roof dolefully, as if mourning what only it and Prince Kendric so far understood.

Between the tree and the lamenting gazebo lay Lidmila, looking as if she was sleeping. As Althea approached, she instinctively pulled out a medical scanner, distressed by the position the princess slept in. As Kendric stopped three zhang 张 from Lidmila, Althea knelt, touching Lidmila's pale skin and opening her green eyes professionally.

Distressed, she pulled out another medical scanner, running a small scanning ball over the skin on princess's arm. Looking at the computerized readings, she carefully restored the lid over Lidmila's eye, worry and sadness in her face, "The princess is dead, my liege."

"How?" commanded Kendric.

"Poison, My Prince. I need to verify my readings with more powerful equipment to know exactly what killed her. But one thing is clear, Your Highness: she was without a shadow of doubt murdered," proclaimed Lady Healer Althea, rising from the body.

Tears flowed from Kendric's eyes, "There is more for you see, Your Grace."

Elendir put his hands on his sister's shoulders as she looked into Kendric's doleful eyes, "Show me."

Kendric led the way to a small pond filled with ornamental fish-like animals. A pair of water birds paddled on the pond's surface, chased by six tiny chicks. In the centre of the pond floated Prince Ohtaraha on his back. Careful of her dress, Althea waded into the water which came to chest height by the time she reached the prince. It took only a single touch for Althea to recognize the truth, "Your son is dead, Your Highness. Come, help me get him out of the pond so I can better examine him."

Kendric and Elendir together waded into the water, drawing the motionless prince away from Althea and gently guiding him towards the pond's edge. Together, they lifted Prince Ohtaraha out of the pond and laid him down on the ground nearby. Lady Priestess Aisling knelt next to him, careful of her dress. Touching his brow, she drew the emblem of Abka Biya upon his forehead, "Be at peace, young prince. May the goddesses guide you into your next life."

Althea began her scans of the boy. Footsteps sounded on the path behind them. A rain soaked woman clad in a blue violet kirtle approached, on her breast was embroidered the sailing ship heraldry of house Cashmarie. Lady Aurnia hugged Kendric, "Is it true, Kendric? Are your wife and son dead?"

Althea finished her scans and rose to her feet, "Yes. I detect poison in both. Whoever murdered Princess Lidmila also murdered Prince Ohtaraha by exactly the same method."

A suspicious light glittered in Aurnia's eyes for a brief xiao-shir. Death of Kendric's wife and son meant Kendric was free to marry her. Lidmila, the wife imposed on Kendric by the Great Council, was now gone – along with the son Lidmila imposed on Kendric, conceived during the beinors immediately following their wedding when Kendric found himself controlled by drugs, forced to bed his bride with inhuman tenacity and fertility.

In her heart, she knew Kendric cared nothing for the woman lying dead on the ground, that every time he bedded Lidmila, it had been out of a sense of obligation or artificial compulsion enforced by drugs, not desire. As Kendric's nearest confidant Aurnia knew the shame Kendric felt every time he succumbed to Lidmila's technological, chemical, and even political ruses employed to secure his sexual favours, legitimizing an otherwise hollow marriage of political expedience. How often had Kendric come to her bed after spending a full shir-or each time mindlessly pleasuring the manipulative Lidmila, tears streaming down his face, the light in his eyes flashing despair?

Each night Kendric was forced to bed Lidmila, Aurnia was there for him, cradling his head on her bare breast and making love to him out of tender compassion and affection, soothing him with her perpetual love and physical need for him until he could, at length, fall asleep. Princess Lidmila was Kendric's wife, the woman seated next to him at Queen Darla's court. But Aurnia had spent most Kendric and Lidmila's marriage as the wife of fact, even though forced to bear the title of "official mistress" at court.

Across the yen-ars, it was Aurnia, not Lidmila, that Kendric courted, offering her the passion of his mind, heart, and flesh – along with her own apartment in the palace, queenly gowns, and regular visits to her bed and her garden – as often as his duties permitted. These she accepted eagerly, but with some worry these would get her with child. Three yen-ars after the birth of Ohtaraha, Aurnia gave birth to Kendric's daughter Mitharnilia.  Though Aurnia's relationship with Kendric was legal, Mitharnilia could not be called "princess" nor given any advantage as a royal child. Queen Darla could not be her grandmother or treat her with any official act of kindness or love. For even a cherished child of a mistress was still a bastard, ineligible for the throne or even recognition by Kendric as his own.

Following Mitharnilia's birth, Aurnia maintained extreme diligence against pregnancy, trying to avoid adding to the stain on Kendric's reputation created by Mitharnilia's existence lest power shifted away from house Gurun and to another house – or worse – to Kendric's twin sister Cathryn through some shrewd political maneuverer.

Over the yen-ars, Cathryn continued to control men beyond Elendir with her sexual favours and for her own pursuit of pleasure. Cathryn cared nothing about her dynasty – only what she could gain from her lovers – using her intensely sensuous body to her political and personal advantage. In this, Cathryn and the now late Lidmila remained similar, each using her body for political gain.

Returning to the present, Aurnia looked at Lady Abbess Althea, "Who could do this?"

Althea shook her head, "I do not know. The data from my scans are only preliminary. I cannot discover exactly how she died from here. I need the equipment only a full scale healing centre can provide before I can give anyone any more information."

Still shocked by the death of wife and son, Kendric struggled to find clarity in thought and words, "Would the healing centre here at the palace suffice for your investigations, Your Grace – or do you require a larger facility, perhaps the rebuilt An Men Ten-Ar Healing Centre?"

Elendir's heart skipped a beat. The original An-Men Ten-Ar Healing Centre was none other than the place of his own birth. But like Bira Hecen's Our Lady Healing Centre where Lady Healer Keelia worked and eventually died at, it too had fallen to a terrorist strike when he was a young boy. As an important healing centre to the capital, the city of Hejing had quickly rebuilt the healing centre – bigger and more technologically sophisticated than before. Indeed, it was a beautiful facility with a memorial garden commemorating the healers and patients killed in the bombing. Even so, the name pierced Elendir's soul like a laser arrow even more than it pierced his sister, the abbess.

A single tear fell from Elendir's right eye as Althea answered her liege lord, "The healing centre here is far superior, My Prince. Here Lady Healer Darah and I can investigate more discretely than anywhere else. For fear the court will discover Lidmila and Ohtaraha's fate long before we can discern it if we attempt to move their bodies to any other location. In the interim, the court must be told nothing, though no doubt Queen Darla will summon one of us to her presence shortly."

Aurnia eyed Althea suspiciously, "Will I be blamed for their deaths?"

"Do you deserve blame for their deaths, Lady Aurnia?" answered the abbess curtly.

"No of course not. But you know the court will see it differently. My guilt will be presumed. I do, naturally, have the most to gain by their murders. I am Kendric's official mistress and therefore now freed of that appellation now that Kendric is free. A woman bedded by a married man, especially the crown prince, is a woman without virtue. In court, I have been merely tolerated as the prerogative of a prince to bed whom he will, his sexual toy to play with as a hobby pursued for his pleasure. After 31.5076 yen-ars as his official mistress, I am now able to ascend to her place as wife and princess consort – if you will have me, of course," smiled Aurnia, looking deeply into Kendric's tear-swollen eyes.

Kendric answered her with his eyes and shaking voice, "You know I will, my love. You are right: these murders free me to marry you at long last. If you can handle being wedded to a disgraced prince soiled by the murder of the Great Council's choice, I promise to be your ever faith husband."

Aurnia's worry transformed to passion, "Your bride I shall be at the time of your choosing."

In reply, Kendric enveloped her in his arms, kissing her much in the same way he used to kiss her after shir-ors bedding Lidmila. After a xiao-shir, Kendric and Aurnia meandered back to Lidmila's body. Carefully and respectfully, Kendric removed the heraldic broach he'd given Lidmila at their official betrothal ceremony in the Great Hall of the Assembly before the entire Great Council from her body. Kneeling in the mud and downpour, Kendric offered the broach to Aurnia, "Will you marry me?"

"I will," smiled Aurnia, kissing him. Suddenly, the rain stopped, breaking the clouds all the way through the layers of the Beinarian atmosphere. In the sky above them sparkled the blue-white Beinarian sun, its rays catching Aurnia's heraldic embroidery on her dress, making the sails come alive like the beating of her love-soaked heart.

Lady Priestess Aisling looked at the sky and then the couple, "Abka Biya heard you. As the goddess of sky and the moon declares, so mote it be. When you are ready, my liege, I shall bind both of you in matrimony. May the goddesses favour you with kindness; I fear the court shall not."

The wedding of Kendric and Aurnia on the island of Ben-Ar paled in comparison to his first wedding with Lidmila. This was a secret joining, an elopement both bride and groom recognized could jeopardize the Gurun dynasty held a mere four beinors after discovery of Lidmila and Ohtaraha in Lidmila's garden. Dutifully, Lady Priestess Aisling performed the humble ceremony with only Lord Knight Elendir and Lady Abbess Althea joining them as witnesses. The customary grand reception was reduced to a private dinner consisting only of the five of them. As Kendric and Aurnia drank the customary Beinarian hot chocolate, Elendir tried to lighten his spirits. At the palace healing centre, Lady Healer Darah continued the joint Gurun-Ten-Ar investigation on Lidmila and Ohtaraha 's cause of death, concealing at best she might from the court and even Queen Darla the true nature of her work.

The real work would begin after Althea and Darah reported their findings to the queen. As Kendric's oldest and dearest friend, Elendir hoped the prince would charge him with the murder investigation even as the prince had charged him with investigating Lord Healer Devon's murder. Happily wed, Kendric eyed Elendir, "What troubles you, old friend?"

"Lidmila and Ohtaraha are not yet mourned, my friend, why this beinor to begin your new life with Lady Aurnia?"

"What do I care about Lidmila and her child after all she put me through? I never wanted her, Elendir, and you know it. I never consummated that marriage of my own accord. Each time I lay with her it was because she forced me – through drugs and goddess knows what else. You experienced the same thing from Lady Elita. You, above all, old friend, know what that feels like."

"I have no child by Elita, Your Highness. For better or worse, you had a son, a son you do not mourn in the slightest," answered Elendir quietly.

"What good is a child imposed on a man by such methods? He was never my child – he was hers. Always hers. Ohtaraha was a cocktail of drugs and who knows what else? He was a manipulation designed to give Lidmila and house Slabi power," declared Kendric simply.

"Four beinors, Your Highness. You think house Slabi, the best advocates on Beinan, will just let you discard your unwanted wife like this? You know they will charge you with responsibility for her death. This is all too convenient. You discard your house Slabi wife, discard the son you had by that wife, and suddenly your official mistress from house Cashmarie is princess?"

Kendric stammered at the charges laid upon him, "I won't elevate Aurnia, not right away, not until the time when I know house Slabi and the others will accept her and allow her to become queen consort when the time comes. In the meantime, we are free to abort the precautions we took before. Now at last I can bed my love without fearing of creating a bastard on her. Our children will be legitimate. I have Aurnia's oath to not interfere in nature – in either direction – in regards our fertility. Let the next king or queen after me be born of her."

Aurnia flushed at Kendric's defence of her, "There is one at court who needs to know, baobei, Lord Healer Torr. You know you must tell him. Your father at least needs to know. He, above all others at court, would understand. Did he not first meet your own mother under similar scandalous circumstances?"

Feeling his nearest and dearest friends' judgment, Kendric assented, "Okay as you wish it, so mote it be. Let us dine for another 400 xiao-shirs, then return. I will speak to my father in private and see what is to be done next."

The office in the consort's apartment had changed little since Lord Prince Bevin occupied it. Computers and telecommunication equipment had been upgraded, of course, expanding the reach of palace communications to 14.8632 light yen-ars, 2.87675 times further than in Bevin's time, far enough to reach systems in 149 galaxies, and shrinking the universe from the Beinarian point of view. Inside the office worked Prince Consort Torr's political droid, ZB8. The door to the office chimed. Opening the door, ZB8 found Prince Kendric waiting expectantly, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

"Hello, ZB8. Where is my father?"

ZB8 raised his angular head, "At your mother's side at court. I am surprised you did not come to court to look for him there."

Kendric tried to keep his expression and voice neutral, "Court is so...political. I seek him as my father, not as prince consort of Beinan."

"Do you wish to make an appointment with him?" asked ZB8, increasing the height of his hover to give him better access to a small computer on the conference table.

"Is he busy? Would it be possible to see him here without disturbing others at court or calling attention to anyone?"

"Allow me," answered ZB8, changing hue from gold to orange, his eyes turning inward as he interfaced with palace systems.

At court, Lord Prince Torr caressed Queen Darla's hand. Before them stood Honourable Lady Alidir, leader of house Slabi and Princess Lidmila's mother, "Your Majesty, I require a response. Where is my daughter, Lidmila, the wife of your son, Kendric? I have not heard from her in seven beinors. I demand to see her."

Queen Darla rose from her throne, using the elevation of the dais to overshadow Honourable Lady Alidir, "Demands are not made of the Queen of Beinan, Honourable Lady Alidir. If you have a charge to make, then make it from where you hold some power and authority, from the Great Hall of the Assembly, if you will. But this court holds but one mistress and no master. This is the law; a law forged by our ancestors on original home world, before we fled to the stars to escape our former sun's dying transformation into a red giant and the inevitable supernova that came of that death. Here, my lady, you will not challenge me."

"I am the grandmother of the future king of Beinan. As such, my demands are valid."

"You forget, Honourable Lady Alidir, that the child you speak of is equally my grandson, his importance created by my blood, not yours," countered Queen Darla with veiled contempt.

"As head of house Slabi, I am prepared to challenge you on the law, Darla."

Prince Consort Torr rose angrily from his seat at the impudent address, "You will lose, Honourable Lady Alidir. Short of a unanimous vote by the Great Council to alter her executive powers, you have no authority here. And may I remind you that while I never headed house Xing-li, my bloodline from that house is greater than yours in your house. For my ancestor was Lancelot, son of Lady Viviane and Lord Arthur of house Xing-li, younger brother to Queen Eleanor who was co-ruler with King Lyr IV, son of Princess Anlei and Lord Knight Corann. As such, I am nobler than you and can readily defeat anything you should propose in Council chambers."

"You may be correct, Your Majesty and Your Highness...but it changes nothing. My daughter has disappeared. Someone here in the palace knows what happened to her. I shall not rest until I have discovered the truth...and prosecuted any who caused or is continuing to cause her harm," vowed Honourable Lady Alidir, turning disrespectfully and striding out of the court.

A light on Prince Torr's belt flashed blue then purple then green. Torr observed the code, understanding. Kneeling respectfully at the feet of his wife he lowered his voice, "May I be excused, Your Majesty? There is something I must tend to that cannot wait."

Queen Darla raised him up by her hand and kissed her husband tenderly, caressing his face like a woman deeply in love, "Don't be too long, my love. I want you tonight in my chamber. I command it, Lord Torr of house Xing-li."

Smiling, Torr embraced Darla, kissing her, "I will be there," With a respectful bow Torr discretely disappeared into the shadows near the throne.

Using hidden passages, Torr navigated his way back to his apartment. Near the entrance to his office stood Kendric, his eyes filled with worry, "Thank you for coming so quickly, Father."

"Honourable Lady Alidir seems to think something is wrong with her daughter, Lidmila. In open court she just challenged your mother's authority, charging this family with doing something terrible to prevent Lidmila from communicating with her. Is there something I should know as prince consort?" queried Torr.

Kendric paced nervously, "I was hoping you would come here less as the prince consort and more as the mind-healer that first brought you to the palace all those yen-ars ago after mother's disgrace at the hands of her brother, Leonir."

"That was many yen-ars ago, Kendric. She is healed now, I am glad to say. Why bring up the ghosts of the past now?"

"Because they are still haunting us, Father. I do know how or why or who...but something is happening."

Torr guided Kendric into his office, closing the door, and sitting both of them in adjacent chairs. Taking a meditative posture, Torr returned himself to the mental discipline that had made him a powerful mind-healer in his youth, a discipline in part based on the methods used by student priestesses in house Miyoo to focus their minds and souls, "Tell me."

"Will you...report my words to the court...or mother?" asked Kendric nervously.

"Are you here before me as a mind-healer...or your father?"

"I ask for the advice and counsel of the mind-healer first...and father second."

"The healer code protects the confidentiality of all who would be healed – of flesh or mind."

"Lord Healer, I come needing your help."

"Then you shall have it...tell me what afflicts your heart."

Kendric took a deep breath, "Someone has murdered Lidmila and Ohtaraha."

"Do you know who?"

"No, my lord. I do not. So far Lady Healer Darah and Lady Abbess Althea have not yet discovered how she died...all they could tell from the initial examination was that some sort of poison was involved."

"I see."

"My lord, there is more I must tell you. I have remarried in secret. Surely you know that for the past thirty one yen-ars I have taken the lady Aurnia to my bed as official mistress. I... could not bear not to be with her. She and I were so close to a formal betrothal when the Great Council forbade my union with her and demanded I marry Lidmila. Surely my agony these yen-ars have not escaped your keen eyes."

Torr's gaze softened towards his son, "They have not, Kendric. That is why I could not protest your decisions in this regard. Official lovers and official mistresses are part of the royal tradition, a tradition forged in these...political marriages. You loved Aurnia long before you knew Lidmila even existed. I daresay you loved her ere you first met her. She is a good woman, kind and of proper temperament for you."

"But..."

"But surely you understand that wedding Aurnia before even Alidir knows her daughter is dead was...politically unwise, Kendric. I know it's hard for you care about a woman imposed on you, a woman you only took to your bed because she kept finding ways to compel you, most of them bordering on criminal."

"Don't think I do not know how this looks. It must seem like I murdered Lidmila and her child to make room for Aurnia so we can not only be together, but avoid the scandal of bastard children."

"The court will accuse you...and her, yes, once they know what you have done. Do not think your elopement will remain secret much longer.... The court will find out and when they do, so will the Great Council. They will charge you with murder, both of you; unless you find proof someone else killed them."

"What am I to do, Father?"

"Find out who did it. That is your only hope, the only hope for this dynasty. Unless you find the killer – and soon – the Great Council is likely to dissolve the Gurun dynasty. If they do that, Kendric, there is no telling what house and who they will give power to. We must be very careful now...that leader of house Shem, their Sacerdos Maximus, Marcus, seems only too eager for excuse to remove your mother...and put himself on the throne as king – and dictator. In house Xing-li, it is said that Marcus is a religious radical, a man who believes in imposing his beliefs and his religion on the rest of us. A King Marcus, it is said, would be a theocrat above all. That is why Xing-li is so loyal to your mother...not just for my sake. If house Shem should take the throne out of some...defect among us, all religious liberty will disappear. Already I have heard that the most moderate and liberal members of house Shem have been either executed or driven out of the house."

"My friend Elendir stands ready to investigate the murders...if it is your will, Father."

"Let us all pray he succeeds...for the sake of all Beinan."

Lord Knight Elendir and Prince Kendric stood inside Lady Healer Darah's office at the palace healing centre. Entering her office with a small computer in hand, Darah acknowledged them, "Thank you for coming, Lord Knight, Your Highness. As you know, Lady Abbess Althea and I have been investigating the cause of death on Princess Lidmila and her son. Our conclusions are puzzling."

Shock filled Kendric's face, "How did they die?"

"Bilast poisoning," declared Darah.

"Bilast? But how could that be? Neither were anywhere near any of the bombing sites where bilast is a natural toxic gas emitted from such wreckage. Short of spending a shir-or among such ruins, I cannot imagine how anyone could die of bilast poisoning," babbled Elendir, perplexed at the findings.

"Lady Abbess Althea detected bilast residue on her first examination on both of them from the garden. Like you, she concluded the computer was error. Bilast seems improbable at best. It's not something you can simply poison someone with—well, not on this world. Princess Anyu, daughter of Princess Consort Wehe and sister to Queen Isabelle died of bilast poisoning – but she was on D425E25 Tertius, a planet with an atmosphere consisting of 20.95% bilast and no atmospheric nirlar. In such an atmosphere, loss of her cipher was almost immediately lethal at those levels. This was known to Princess Anyu when she left Beinan, of course. But here, bilast is not naturally found. Dilast is, of course, eight percent of our atmosphere, and nearly as lethal to us if breathed in too great of quantities. But bilast – the filtering effects of our atmosphere forbid it in nature. It takes a laboratory to split dilast into bilast, usually through a focused beam of argene under very controlled circumstances," explained Darah.

Elendir thought back to his time working in the mines in Amba Narel, "Lady Healer...would someone very familiar with argene synthesis from argun ore possess the knowledge to perhaps create whatever is needed to synthesize bilast?"

"Perhaps; there is a trace of bilast produced in argun ore processing...as no doubt you remember from your yen-ars in Xi-Nan Fang."

Elendir pondered, tapping Darah's desk with his fingers, "I wonder...what if these murders are somehow connected to terrorism experienced across Beinan? If Marcus, the Sacerdos Maximus of House Shem, is eager for power, the sort of power that would end all the liberties we take for granted as Prince Torr suggests, would he have the authority to order someone involved in argun ore mining to intentionally create enough bilast to kill both Lidmila and Ohtaraha? What if the ghosts of my past are haunting the royal family now as well? What if Lady Elita and her family, descendants of Lord Janus, want more than just to terrorize our planet? What if the real goal is to destroy house Gurun...?"

"What better way to destroy this dynasty than disgracing me and forcing the Great Council to give power to them?" concluded Kendric, his mind clearly seeing Elendir's train of thought.

"That may well be the objective, my lords, but without the murder weapon, you may find it difficult to prove. Your recent marriage, Your Highness, will no doubt also play into the hands of such an enemy."

"How did you know?" asked Kendric.

"I'm chief healer here, Kendric...there is little I do not know, especially after observing Lady Abbess Althea, a guest at your wedding from what I recall."

Kendric conceded to Darah, "So she was."

"Elendir, whoever did this used a lot of bilast to quickly kill each of his victims. I found absolutely no trace of nirlar in either Lidmila's or Ohtaraha's lungs; the bilast had displaced all nirlar in their respiratory systems. This suggests some sort of concentrated delivery system applied to the face without leaving bruising or cellular damage at the entry site. It is possible that both Lidmila and Ohtaraha knew their assailant and perhaps even consented to their own murders."

"Good morning, my lords. Welcome to Amur An-Men Associates," beckoned KE567, extending her robotic arms in greeting to the two nobles in front of her. "How may we be of assistance?"

Elendir bowed gently in greeting to the droid, his pale brown tunic and trousers appearing briefly from underneath his equally plain black cloak, "We wish to consult with one of your advocates, if any are free this shir-or."

KE567 rose five cun 寸, turning her body slightly and visibly interfacing with another computer, "Of course. One xiao-shir, please. Ah – ah – yes. Lady Advocate Miranda of house Slabi is available to meet with you. Will she suit your needs, my lords?"

"Quite suitably," responded Prince Kendric, his black doublet, trousers, and cloak appearing just as plain as Elendir's.

KE567's gold body shifted to a brighter yellow, "Then please follow me."

KE567 led Elendir and Kendric down a modest corridor devoid of the displays of wealth that had become common among advocates of all houses. Instead, the walls were soft in tint, barely perceptible as pale greens and pale blues. Small hidden task lights illuminated the corridor efficiently. After two xiao-shirs, KE567 opened a cherry-like wooden office door with a bow, "May I introduce you to Lady Advocate Miranda of house Slabi."

Lady Advocate Miranda rose to greet her visitors, her red hair appearing black to Elendir's compromised brown eyes. Her eyes sparkled bright Kelly green against her spring green bliaut and silvery white belt. Silver-white embroidery in the pattern of leaves covered the sleeves and skirt of her flowing gown. A simple Beinarian silver circlet sat on her head. She was beautiful in her simplicity, "Thank you, KE567. So...how may I be of service to you my lords?"

Kendric and Elendir exchanged glances from beneath the hoods of their cloaks. Elendir answered first, "A friend was found dead in her garden. We just heard from the healer who examined her; she died of bilast poisoning. I – we – were hoping you might help us determine who murdered her."

Lady Advocate Miranda paced five steps, "This friend, she has a name?"

Kendric met Miranda's eyes, "Lidmila of house Slabi, daughter of Honourable Lady Alidir of house Slabi."

"The princess consort of Prince Kendric, heir apparent of house Gurun, if I remember correctly," quipped Miranda.

Kendric pulled the hood of his cloak down to his shoulders, revealing his face, "Yes, she was my wife. I need to know who killed her before public opinion tries and convicts me as the apparent obvious perpetrator."

"Do you have the medical report for my review, Your Highness?"

Kendric nodded, handing her a small tablet computer, "Of course."

Miranda took the tablet and sat down, visibly reviewing the document. Kendric and Elendir sat down in the provided chairs across from the advocate's desk. After two xiao-shirs, she met their eyes again, "Well, she was clearly murdered. I see a note in here that you suspect she knew her killer. The evidence certainly points that way, Your Highness, otherwise there would have been some further damage. More likely than not, I think she took her own life – and that of her child – with assistance from someone with a lot to gain from her death and that of your son. You have not done anything foolish since finding her body, have you?"

Kendric took a deep breath, "I remarried."

"Your official mistress?"

"Yes; before the Great Council imposed the marriage to Lidmila, Lady Aurnia and I had already made private pledges of marriage. I simply fulfilled the oath I made 33 yen-ars ago to her."

"And therefore you just played perfectly into whatever gambit Lidmila died to implicate you in. She must have known you would marry Lady Aurnia as soon as she was out of the way."

"Lady Advocate, I think whoever is behind this is somehow connected to the healing centre bombings that have ravaged our planet since BE 6770. My wife and I found evidence of a connection between the descendants of Janus of house Shem and several of the bombings in Xi-Nan Fang. Is it possible that someone of that lineage killed Lidmila and Ohtaraha?" tested Elendir.

"With the right motive, yes. While it's true house Slabi has prided itself in its neutrality, I can well believe that anyone of our house could be given incentive enough to work with terrorists. Your relationship with your late wife was not close, was it, Your Highness?"

"It was a marriage of political expedience, my lady. Her child was conceived through compulsion and drugs that separated my conscious thought from my physical behaviour. I never bedded her willingly. I was a means to an end to her, a source of political power for her and her mother, never a man. Can it be any wonder I never lost my feelings for the woman of my heart's choosing?"

Miranda's gazed softened with empathy, "No one would expect otherwise of you, Your Highness."

Elendir turned to Miranda, "Lady Advocate, it is one thing for us to suspect a connection between the line of Janus and whatever really happened to Lidmila and Ohtaraha. It is quite another to prove our theory. We need your help in this. Will you take our case?"

Miranda nodded, "As a follower of The Shemai, I am deeply disturbed by what I am seeing. Ours is a peaceful faith based on the premise of a single deity with a single consciousness that created the universe and shapes our lives through his consciousness. It is perhaps a very different understanding of divinity than what many Beinarians believe, but I think it is a valid way of looking at the same data."

Elendir looked at Miranda, somewhat bewildered, "But you are house Slabi? How can you follow The Shemai without transferring your house allegiance to house Shem?"

"How can you be house Ten-Ar yet follow the triple goddess? It's really no different. Those born to other houses who become house Shem out of religious fervour do so because they wish to, not out of some mandate by our spiritual tradition. Yet I have observed that the most radical among us are often the ones who have chosen to become house Shem from a different house of birth. Please understand that the descendants of Janus are radicals. Most of us who believe in The Shemai are peaceful, honest disciples simply trying to understand our universe through a different theological lens than the majority. Nowhere in our tradition is violence allowed – particularly the terrorism that the most radical members of our faith espouse. We are, theologically speaking, pacifistic."

Elendir blinked, somewhat shocked, "Forgive me, I did not know that. My experiences so far, living for ten yen-ars in Amba Narel in Xi-Nan Fang, have been quite contrary to what you just specified."

"Amba Narel is a hotbed for terrorists, my lord. Sacerdos Antonius is one of the most radical leaders among house Shem. He resents the ruling Queen Isabelle laid upon Janus for attempting to rape and impregnate her daughter. For him and his kin, it's all about avenging his ancestor. Never mind that legally speaking, the queen was well within the scope of the law. Case law shows us that she was unusually merciful with Janus. Most rulers would have banished Janus to another world – or executed him," clarified Miranda.

"So all this death, all this pain is for nothing; my parents both died in terrorist bombings of healing centres...." stammered Elendir.

"This death is caused by the misperceptions of Janus's descendants that Queen Isabelle exiled him needlessly, creating trials and tribulations for all who followed and loved him. I myself am also a descendant of Janus through Lady Ecter, the sister he impregnated to test his plots. At Lady Ecter's request, her daughter Miriam by Janus was raised by house Miyoo and given respectability, despite the sadness both mother and child felt across their lives. I am of the only line of Janus to remain noble. For Queen Isabelle received Lady Ecter with kindness and love. That kindness has been well rewarded over the yen-ars. Janus was a monster and yet I can see both sides of the matter. I understand how and why such hatred came about, even though my training in the law shows me the error of their ways. I feel your pain, my lord. This is also reason for me to extend my aid and my legal expertise to your cause. For the law reveals the errors that motivate the hate behind all of this. I vow to you to use every resource at my disposal to reveal the truth behind what has long stayed in the shadows," affirmed Lady Advocate Miranda.

Elendir and Kendric rose, bowing respectfully, "THANK YOU."

Elendir spent the next two beinors lost in thought, wandering around the island of Ben-Ar while his wife, Lady Priestess Aisling, worked in the temple, attending meetings and attending to the daily work of the priestesses there. Uncertain exactly what to do with the new information revealed by Lady Advocate Miranda, he watched sea birds hunt for aquatic prey, both in the ocean and on the nearby beach. The waves of the Amba Mederi Ocean ebbed, flowed, and crashed onto the beach, foaming at the edges. A small beach crustacean with twelve legs called a rak ambled slowly across sand recently deposited by the waves. Above, a break in the upper atmosphere revealed bright blue-white sunlight. Near the Beinarian sun danced Biya Xiao-yue, the smallest of Beinan's moons. On this beinor it was in waxing gibbous phase, the largest of its craters visible from the beach. Despite the restful environment that should have soothed Elendir's ruffled nerves, Elendir still felt turmoil in his heart. Finally, at shir-or 6.21, Elendir rose and headed for his low altitude shuttle. Bira Hecen was only twelve xiao-shirs away. Entering his shuttle, he powered it up and headed for the coastal city.

The rebuilt Our Lady Healing Centre glistened blue-white against the cracks of blue-white sunlight penetrating the upper atmosphere. Three colonnade citadels formed an equilateral triangle of towers filled with windows and topped with conical spires. This healing centre was an especially elegant building designed to show off the engineering and mathematical talents of both house Miyoo and house Ten-Ar. Xing-li architects also contributed to the functional aesthetics of the healing centre. Inside the triangle formed by the citadels, carefully designed gardens meandered with flowering plants, herbs, and fruit trees, including nanla and Nara trees. At the centre of this garden stood a waterfall-like fountain set with star rubies meandering down its edges regally. Elendir parked his low altitude shuttle, and then headed for the garden's fountain.

Singing welcomed Elendir as he arrived. Near one of the citadel exteriors stood three young women practicing vocal music. A young man with jet black hair wearing that same deep black tunic and trousers with silver embroidery Elendir thought he'd seen in the waning light in Nan-li accompanied the young women on a soprano shawm, his metallic blue eyes sparkling. Lost in thought, Elendir barely marked the musicians, yet could not help notice the way the young man's eyes watched him. The young woman in the middle also watched him with her eyes, though less noticeably than her companion. In response to Elendir's presence, she raised her voice lyrically in song,

"Love for the beauty of the soul. I shall love you always. When the flower of life has gone, ever I shall find you. When all is lost and winter comes, I shall be your spring time. And memory fades and wilts then, I shall always find you.... I shall always find you...."

Almost memorized by the music, Elendir found the waterfall-like fountain. On its rocky edges were inscribed several names, many of them accompanied by a memorial star ruby. Searching, Elendir found the name "Keelia" inscribed in Beinarian characters. Touching the inscription and its star ruby, Elendir the knight fell to his knees as the young woman's music filled his ears. His fingers clasped at the star ruby pendant he almost always wore in memory of his parents. Tears flowed freely. This fountain was built over the few remains located of those who died when the original Our Lady Healing Centre was destroyed by terrorists; terrorists Elendir now knew were connected to Durwen and the others he met in Nan-li. As he wept over the nearest that existed to a grave for his mother, his heart sickened at the thought that Durwen might have also been behind Lady Healer Keelia's death. So much death. So much pain. Was any of it worth it? "Oh mother!" cried Elendir.

Almost in response, the young singer glided up behind him so softly that he could not hear her soft leather shoes on the natural stone path leading up the waterfall fountain. "I shall always find you," she sang softly. "Good afternoon, my lord."

Tears still streaming down his face, Elendir rose to face the young woman. Her eyes sparkled blue against her dark brown wavy hair and diamond white kirtle. Her face reminded her...no...it had to be his imagination. But who was she? "Good afternoon, my lady; forgive me this place..." stammered Elendir.

"...is a place of memory and song. Here, in this garden, lay the remains of those who perished on BE 6777, beinor 98 when the original healing centre was destroyed. On the sacred waterfall fountain are the names of those who lost their lives, most of them healers helping the poor and sick," finished Lady Fëawen. "That was a dark day, but one that began with sunlight. I remember it."

"B-b-but you cannot possibly be old enough to remember that day. I am only ninety-six yen-ars old, only ten yen-ars old when it happened...yet I barely remember the day itself. I remember my mentors sitting me down and telling me about my mother's death; but the day itself? I can't remember any specifics."

"This flesh was born a mere seventy yen-ars ago and yet I remember the bombing as if it happened in this life. I was handing a two xiao-shir old baby to her mother when there was... a flash, smoke, fire... we could not breath. Bilast filled the halls from the fires. It felt like the world was spinning backwards. I fell; the baby flew from my arms. I never saw where she landed. Pain surged through me; then it was black. I felt heat close to me; then nothing at all," described Lady Fëawen.

Elendir jumped back, shocked at her story, "WHO ARE YOU?"

"I was a healer. House Ten-Ar; Keelia was my name, I think. It is so hard to remember. I had a son and a daughter. What were their names?"

"Elendir and Althea," answered Elendir, understanding.

"You! You are my son, Elendir of house Ten-Ar?"

"Mother?" cried Elendir.

"My son? Has my little boy grown up while I...adjusted to my new incarnation?"

Sensing the truth, Elendir clasped Fëawen in a tight embrace, tears streaming down his face in a torrent of grief and happiness, "MOTHER. MOTHER. OH, MOTHER."

Fëawen snuggled Elendir affectionately, "I was your mother, Elendir. Grieve no more. For I have found life again. In this incarnation, just as I taught you from your first beinors, before your sister was born. Do not be shocked, my child, that this is so. For it is the will of the goddesses that we continue our lives after death in new flesh that our souls may grow ever in wisdom...until the time when the stars cease to be infinite multitudes and become few enough to count. Then we shall assemble with our Creator of many names and gather together to wait for the universe to end and, through the power of Her, be reborn again."

Elendir ceased in his tears and broke the embrace in wonder, "My wife is a priestess of Miyoo yet never have I heard her speak this way of that which is beyond death."

"Those who die in such violence remember better the space between lives. To die in such way is to rip the soul from the flesh unprepared. The triple goddess that is our understanding of what is beyond grants us a span to rest and heal...before our souls settle into new flesh. As a mind-healer of Gurun, I find it ever intriguing how those of house Shem responsible for so much death would, through their violence, ever increase the knowledge of this chasm between life and death in contradiction to their own theology. How can more people believe in The Shemai when so many who live now remember the chasm that stands between incarnations and even more remember at least some of the life they lived before their sudden deaths...as I do," explained Fëawen.

"Mother..."

"...FËAWEN," interrupted the healer.

"Fëawen, someone has murdered the wife and child of Crown Prince Kendric. It was an unhappy marriage formed purely out of the whims of the Great Council and under the demands of Princess Lidmila's mother, Lady Counsellor Alidir. Her body was barely cold before Kendric remarried – to his official mistress and the choice of his heart long before Honourable Lady Alidir imposed her daughter upon him. At court, everything is in chaos. My heart tells me there is a connection between what I discovered about the death of Lord Healer Devon and this murder, but I cannot prove anything. I've tried to get the help of Lady Advocate Miranda of house Slabi, but she's a distant kinswoman to Alidir, and a worshipper of The Shemai. I find I cannot fully trust her to be impartial," confessed Elendir, taking Fëawen's hand and wandering with her through the garden, away from the memorial fountain.

Fëawen nodded her mind half in her present incarnation and half in her memories as Lady Healer Keelia, "Your scepticism is logical – and very Ten-Arian. I will help you solve the mystery, if you wish. Perhaps my memories will help. How do you know the prince?"

"Queen Darla, sovereign since BE 6749, beinor 185, sent Kendric to house Ten-Ar for fosterage. I'm not sure if you remember that King Gareth II, her father, was murdered by bilast poisoning, much in the same way Princess Lidmila was murdered. Understandably, the queen feared for both her children's safety. Therefore both spent most of their childhood away from her and the court, out of reach of would-be killers. I first met Kendric at the age of twelve yen-ars, the start of my formal training to be a squire. Kendric was one of the student-instructors helping Lord Knight Malvyn teach my first laser épée class. He quickly became a sort of big-brother to me and never stopped mentoring me when it comes to fencing; he's always been a formidable warrior with a passionate love of sword-play. Though Kendric left the monastery in BE 6800 upon his coming of age, he and I maintained our friendship which seemed to grow ever closer, especially after my ascension to the knighthood. Through the yen-ars we have remained sword brothers and even closer friends. I am, perhaps, the closest friend he has outside of Lady – er – Princess Aurnia, his chosen bride," recounted Elendir.

"I am glad you have such a friend, Elendir. That reassures me very much. If you wish it, I would find myself most pleased to meet Kendric...along with those whose mentorship has shaped your life."

"That would please me very much, Lady Fëawen."

"So mote it be."

"Sweetheart...may I introduce you to someone special I met this beinor. Lady Fëawen, may I introduce you to my wife, Lady Priestess Aisling," introduced Elendir, beckoning the young healer of Gurun into the sitting room of Elendir and Aisling's modest apartment in Bira Hecen near the temple of Abka Biya. Measuring fifteen by fifteen zhang 张 in size, the sitting room was modest with comfortable albeit not opulent furnishings. On the wall behind the couch hung a painting of a river flowing through the great rain forest in Dong-Nan Fang with a large, brightly coloured bird perched on a nearby rock overlooking the green and lavender river water, its long tail dipping slightly into the gurgling stream happily. On the far wall opposite the couch stood an entertainment centre featuring a planetary broadcasting receiver at its centre in front of a massive arch-sliding window. Slivers of blue, green, and lavender stained glass alternated with clear glass in the arched window section, spilling dancing colours of light onto the pale wood of the parquet flooring.

Lady Aisling smiled as she greeted Fëawen with a Miyoo gesture of respect, "Welcome to my home, Lady Fëawen. I hope you will find your visit with us pleasing. You arrive in time for dinner. Would you care to join us?"

"Thank you, I would be honoured," bowed Fëawen, her hands in the Gurun gesture of respect.

"You are house Gurun?" asked Aisling, noticing the signal.

"Yes. I am a mind healer of Gurun, to be exact. No near relation to the crown, of course. As a matter of fact, your husband is the first gentle I've ever met who has become acquainted at all with any of the royal family," explained Fëawen.

"Did you know that the prince consort is also a mind healer? Lord Healer Torr of house Xing-li? Long ago, when our queen was a princess, she was assaulted. Our prince consort came to her aid to heal her then, inevitably for such a fair and virtuous princess, fell in love with her. Since he is Xing-li, King Gareth II consented to the match, being still under the ruling made in BE 6328 at the end of the Great Succession Crisis requiring the crown prince or princess to marry of house Xing-li for three generations, beginning with Lyr IV's marriage to Lady Eleanor. In marrying Lord Healer Torr, Queen Darla fulfilled that treaty as the granddaughter of King Lyr IV and Queen Eleanor I," elaborated Lady Aisling, beckoning Fëawen and Elendir to the adjacent dining room. Three courses stood ready to eat on the table. Aisling motioned to Fëawen to sit.

Fëawen sat down at the seat offered to her, "My understanding of the treaty is that Darla has now secured the Gurun dynasty, allowing house Gurun to retain control of the monarchy for at least another three or four generations."

"That is the law, yes. Or at least was the law," agreed Aisling. "However, my investigations of the healing centre bombings on behalf of house Miyoo lead me to believe otherwise. I spent fifteen yen-ars in the mining town of Amba Narel, the same locality where I met Lord Knight Elendir. There I noticed corruption and conspiracies that transcend the apparent grumblings of some within house Shem regarding the sentence placed upon Janus by Queen Isabelle. Many there not only believe the queen was in the wrong, but that her ruling represents a fundamental malice against them. They seem to believe that house Miyoo's prominence in religious leadership was behind what they perceive as unnecessary suffering in Xi-Nan Fang – as evidenced by both Princess Consort Wehe and Princess Anlei's elevation to high priestess of Beinan. They, apparently, do not believe that Janus actually tried to rape and forcibly impregnate Princess Anlei, making Queen Isabelle's sentence a travesty of justice."

"What do you know of this, Mother?" interjected Elendir.

"Mother?" queried Aisling.

Fëawen gazed into Aisling's eyes, "I was Lady Healer Keelia of house Ten-Ar. That flesh was destroyed and, by the mercy of the triple goddess, replaced by this flesh."

"You remember some of Keelia's life then?"

Fëawen nodded, "Yes; not all, but I do get feelings, impressions. I recognized your husband as someone I knew in that life. He helped me piece together the details."

"When I was a student priestess, we learned that this sometimes happens; most often if one's death is violent, holding the soul to memory through some great pain."

"Many that live now suffer such, my lady. Many more, I suspect, will be reborn with the same affliction. For what can be harder than remembering the past that is in others forgotten, loving someone as a soul, without logic or reason to connect one flesh with another?"

"Do you still love he who was Devon of house Ten-Ar?" asked Elendir timidly.

"I will always love him I don't know what I would do if I met his soul again, though love will no doubt put me in his path once more. That love gave you life, Elendir. I can only hope that when the time comes, my heart will handle it. It is rare for two remembering souls to recognize each other fully at the time of meeting. Usually one remembers better than the other, creating unrequited affection and much suffering in the end," rejoined Fëawen quietly.

"Your soul is insightful, Lady Fëawen. It surprises me you never pursued ordination as a priestess," remarked Aisling.

"I can use that wisdom best as a mind healer. Besides, I have no interest in formal religion outside of the insights my experience has given me. In my experience, formal religions miss the mark in their attempts to understand and describe that Being which is beyond all comprehension. Far better to say we are created beings of lesser talent and capacity than our pride permits us to ascertain," affirmed Fëawen.

"Your insight is needed now, Lady Fëawen. I thank you for your acquaintance in our time of need," obliged Aisling gratefully.

"I live to serve," bowed Fëawen.

"Good afternoon, my lady. Welcome to Amur An-Men Associates," greeted KE567. "How may we be of assistance?"

"Lady Healer Fëawen of house Gurun. I have a shir-or 7.250 appointment with Lady Advocate Miranda," acknowledged Fëawen.

KE567 interfaced with the scheduling database, "Confirmed. Lady Advocate Miranda is waiting for you in chamber 38."

"Thank you," smiled Fëawen, striding down the corridor to the advocate's office. Knocking on the cherry red wooden door, she stepped into the chamber, "Lady Advocate Miranda?"

Miranda greeted the healer cheerfully, "Yes, Lady Healer, good to meet you at last. I understand you recently met a client of mine, a Lord Elendir?"

"I did. I am here to conference with you on that same investigation. As you know, mind healers such as myself have special access to information, just as advocates do – different data to be certain, but no less confidential. It is my hope that by combining our mutual efforts we may discern the whole from the individual parts our professions reveal."

Miranda motioned for Fëawen to sit, "Very good, then. Shall I review the perimeters of our investigation as specified by his royal highness?"

"No need...I am aware. I have been fully briefed. But more than that, I knew about their investigation into the death of Princess Lidmila before I put myself in a place where I knew Elendir was certain to turn up. His mental health profile indicates a rather prolonged mental health concern related to the deaths of each of his parents in separate healing centre bombings. It was not hard to discern where he was likely to go after conferencing with you."

"Is he competent to investigate?"

"Yes, but perhaps with some bias which is understandable given the circumstances."

"Naturally."

"Have you reviewed the security data maintained by the palace?" queried Fëawen.

"I saw nothing peculiar."

"I did. Palace security logged genetic material I traced back to Lady Elita shortly after the wedding of Kendric and Lidmila."

"Lady Elita was Elendir's guest to the wedding. It is not surprising security found her genetic material in the palace."

"Ah, but it is significant. A routine sweep showed genetic material all over Prince Kendric's personal office, including on two discarded empty transdermal syringes found in Lidmila's personal chamber. No doubt the early conception of Prince Ohtaraha is connected to this apparent random visit by Elita who must have administered some sort of fertility treatment designed to augment whatever precautions Lidmila herself used to ensure the prince impregnated her. Under the rules of succession, this child, now dead would never have been allowed to be king after Kendric, thus ensuring a challenge in the Great Council and ending the Gurun dynasty – assuming Kendric produced no other legitimate children to challenge Ohtaraha's claim."

"Granted, but I still see no particular significance in relation to the murder of Lidmila and Ohtaraha. Assisting a couple in conceiving is not criminal, nor does it point to a murderer," assessed Miranda. "If anything, it would be in the interest of anyone wishing to challenge the legitimacy of the Gurun dynasty to keep both Lidmila and her child alive – for as long as possible. Then and only then could a challenge be made in the Great Council."

"Except that after Ohtaraha's birth, Prince Kendric resumed his previous relationship with Lady Aurnia, a relationship perfectly legal, albeit no child from such a union could be eligible for the throne. Would it not make equal sense to discredit both Kendric and Aurnia by killing Lidmila and her child – or at least by making a suicide look like murder, a murder that both Kendric and Aurnia would have great motivation to see carried out? Formal charges against Kendric and Aurnia, if raised successfully, could then be used to impeach Queen Darla herself, transferring power immediately to another house and elevating a new person to the rank of king. Such a crime would fit the psychological profile of any ambitious counsellor on the great council. It's the fastest and easiest way to seize power."

"Perhaps, but if so, what proof do you have that such a conspiracy exists?"

"I was hoping as an advocate, you might have found something in the records available to you," hinted Fëawen.

"What I found was perhaps more basic than your theory. There are records of association between Lidmila, Elita, and Alatar, son of Durwen. Yes, yes I know. Durwen was implicated in bombing of Central Nan-li Healing Centre, killing Lord Healer Devon of house Ten-Ar."

"According to what you know from house Shem, how close is Alatar to his mother?"

"Inseparable by all accounts."

"Have you found any evidence of Alatar's presence in the palace within the last yen-ar?"

"They were all friends; of course he was in the palace."

"If Lidmila wanted to commit suicide to frame Kendric, would not Alatar have access to whatever she needed?"

"Alatar is from Nan-li, not exactly a mining town."

"But it is involved in synthesizing argene from argun ore. This process generates bilast by its very nature," concluded Lady Fëawen.

"Are you suggesting that Alatar collected the bilast used, then helped administer it to Lidmila and Ohtaraha?" suggested Miranda.

"That is exactly what I am suggesting," exclaimed Lady Fëawen. "This was suicide intended to look like murder in hopes of impeaching Kendric and house Gurun so the Great Council would be inclined to hand power to another house, perhaps even to Sacerdos Maximus Marcus of house Shem."

"All rise for her Most Royal Majesty Darla, queen of Beinan," cried the herald as Queen Darla, Prince Consort Torr, and Prince Kendric processed into the throne room, assuming their normal place on and near the dais. As the royal family sat down, the herald continued, "Her Majesty calls into court Lady Abbess Althea of house Ten-Ar."

Stately, Lady Abbess Althea glided through the throne room, her brother Elendir walking beside her. Behind them strode Lady Advocate Miranda, Lady Priestess Aisling, and Lady Fëawen. Upon reaching the respectful distance mandated by protocol, the group bowed reverently. Althea took a ritual step forward, "Great is the wisdom of Queen Darla. I come with my companions to serve Her Majesty."

Queen Darla rose, "It is said that the investigation into the deaths of Princess Lidmila and her son, Ohtaraha, has been completed."

"It has, Your Majesty."

"Then what says the evidence?"

"Princess Lidmila committed suicide with the help of a friend and compatriot, one Lord Alatar, son of Durwen of house Shem, the same Durwen convicted in the bombing of Central Nan-li Healing Centre which took the lives of both Gurun and Ten-Arian healers," announced the abbess.

"This has been proven by the available facts at hand?" asked the queen.

Althea handed a small touchpad computer to the queen's herald, "The collected evidence and the conclusions of this investigating committee are contained in this report, Your Majesty. We have demonstrated compelling evidence of a conspiracy designed to undermine the validity of the Gurun dynasty and Your Majesty's reign as queen. Lidmila first used illegal methods to compel the crown prince into conceiving her child, and then used the assistance of friends within house Shem to administer foetal growth accelerants designed to ensure the viability of her unborn child. After the crown prince exercised his right under law to take an official mistress, Lidmila herself plotted her own death in hoping the scandal would force the Great Council to choose a new dynasty and a new king, ending Your Majesty's reign. She and her child were willing to die for this cause, knowing her mother would be outraged and assume culpability by the palace. And so she and her child sacrificed themselves for the cause they valued more than their very lives."

"These charges are serious, lady abbess. Are you prepared for this evidence to be submitted to the Great Council?" enquired the queen.

"All of us who investigated the princess's death are prepared to swear by our very lives as to the veracity of our conclusions," vowed Althea.

"Then I accept your testimony and shall review your evidence," declared Queen Darla.

"Long live Your Majesty. Long may your reign be," swore Althea.

"Are you absolutely mad, Miranda?" screamed Honourable Lady Alidir. "MY DAUGHTER KILLED HERSELF?"

"My lady, I honour that you head our house, but may I remind you of the vows that all advocates swear by? House Slabi has been a bulwark of impartiality for over fifty thousand yen-ars. I can no more falsify evidence than I can shoot a laser crossbow with any accuracy. I am insulted you dare charge me with thus, even in your private council chambers," retaliated Miranda.

"Do you know what this means, young Miranda?"

Miranda glared at Alidir, "Yes...it means I'm not your puppet; that I actually care about the proper practice of law. I don't care what deals you have made with Marcus of house Shem. I don't care how much he wants to be king or about his ambitions to turn Beinan into a theocracy for house Shem. The god I worship forbids such ruthless ambition. Love, peace; he calls himself sacerdos, but he wants none of that. He no more follows The Shemai than High Priestess Aina does. He just wants power and does not care who he has to hurt to get it. If he has to use allegations that Queen Isabelle's ruling was illegal; well that is just fine too. Blow up a few healing centres, create planetary chaos; heck, they are not house Shem lives, so why would he care?"

"You are out of place, young one," retorted Alidir.

Miranda laughed sarcastically, "Out of place? Out of place? For thinking the practice of law means something? For believing our house to be honourable, above the petty power grabs that plague the Great Council? For actually _caring_ about the evidence?"

"You forget...she was _my_ daughter."

"No, Your Grace, I have not. If anything, I'm starting to wonder if your reaction to my investigation, and those of other houses who also contributed to the findings at hand, doesn't indicate some guilt on your part. Perhaps you yourself put your daughter in touch with Alatar, knowing he had access to the bilast," Miranda eyed Alidir carefully, sizing up the house leader with well-practiced logic and character assessments developed over thirty yen-ars of training. Suddenly, she understood. "... _You. You are behind all this._ All along. You are the master conspirator using moles planted across the bureaucracy to facilitate your objectives. You had your own daughter killed for your political gain. By the Shemai. You are the key to this whole thing, how Durwen and the others could get away with bombing so many healing centres. Why no one ever bothered to investigate until Prince Kendric gave Lord Knight Elendir the mandate to put all the records together and find the truth. Kendric got too close to the truth so you – by the Shemai. _Why_?"

"Why shouldn't I? It was my brother who was falsely accused by that whore Anlei, my family who suffered and died along with him in that hell we call Xi-Nan Fang right alongside him. I died with my brother in those mines because Isabelle did not want either of us to become king. Janus and I deserve the throne. We shall have the throne. We shall have our revenge at last. Corann was warned he had not heard the last of us. Now we shall take what we deserve," hissed Alidir.

" _By the Shemai! Your name was Kaleb of house Shem_ ," cried Miranda.

Alidir laughed hysterically, "Smart child. Too bad it's the last thing you'll ever know." With seemingly superhuman strength, Alidir seized Miranda by the throat, slipping a capsule into Miranda's nose. The capsule broke open, releasing a compressed gas down into her lungs. Miranda fainted, gasped, and then breathed no more.

# Chapter Eight: Kendric's Lament

"You are absolutely certain Miranda was murdered?" paced High Priestess Aina in her office in the temple of Abka Gahun on the island of Ben-Ar.

"Yes, Your Grace. What else could it have been? We find her dead in Lady Counsellor Alidir's office only twelve xiao-shirs before the start of what would have been the convening of the Great Council to discuss Lidmila's and Ohtaraha's murder-suicide with Counsellor Alidir nowhere to be found? What else could it have been?" plead Lady Aisling.

"Do we have any proof that Alidir is connected with the murder?"

"You mean besides the time of death and location her body was found? We all knew she had a meeting with Alidir. That was on public record; it wasn't exactly a private meeting."

"But why risk killing her? What motive could she possibly have? She's house Slabi, a house long established as highly impartial."

"Maybe house Slabi is not as impartial as we all thought," grimaced Aisling ironically. "Or maybe something else is going on, some sort of personal connection that we are not aware of."

"Like what?"

"I don't know; but some other motive resonates in my soul, at least since meeting Lady Healer Fëawen."

"Is she the young woman who remembers dying during the Our Lady Healing Centre bombing?"

"Yes, Your Grace. She remembers her life as Lady Healer Keelia, my husband's late mother. Since meeting Fëawen, Elendir has been less depressed now than he used to be. It's as if a hole that was dug out of his heart when his mother died is now partially filled at last."

"I am truly glad for your husband. He deserves peace in his soul. The real question for the moment is what we should do about Miranda's murder. The palace has been too filled with controversy for comfort. First King Gareth II is murdered, then Princess Lidmila and Prince Ohtaraha, and now Lady Advocate Miranda? It's almost as if some ghost from our mutual past is haunting us, fervently trying to destroy our world and everyone in it. We know that certain descendants of Janus are responsible for at least two healing centre bombings, no doubt in some way, all of them. We know there is a connection between Lady Durwen and her son Alatar to Lidmila and Ohtaraha's murder-suicide. But what is the overarching key to this? I understand that Janus was upset to be exiled; but the judgment on him was both legal and merciful; even as high priestess I find myself at a loss to really perceive the master plan behind all of this – which logically there has to be," explored High Priestess Aina.

"Perhaps Lady Healer Fëawen has a suggestion? What would you say about scheduling a conference between her, Prince Consort Torr, and ourselves? Surely mind healers have a different understanding than we do. I think his highness would also be of aid to us, simply out of his political role. He has power and influence tied both to his Xing-li blood and his status as legal proxy to the queen."

"Excellent suggestion, Lady Aisling. Make it so."

"Honourable Lord Marcus, High Priestess Aina, Lady Healer Fëawen, Lady Priestess Aisling, Lady Abbess Althea, Lord Knight Malvyn, I thank you for coming," bowed Prince Consort Torr to the gathering of esteemed nobles seated around the conference table in his private office in the palace. "Most of you are aware that a mere twelve xiao-shirs before the Great Council was to have heard the findings of the committee investigating the death of Princess Lidmila and Prince Ohtaraha, one of the key members on that committee was found dead in Honourable Lady Alidir's counsel chamber, the lady herself not seen since that shir-or. I have called you here as both prince consort and as a mind healer of Xing-li to discuss the next steps to be taken by both the Great Council and the palace. Three people were murdered in only thirty-five beinors. The investigating committee examining Lidmila and Ohtaraha's deaths, which many of you represent, found a connection between their murders and both Durwen and her son Alatar of house Shem. It is the finding of this committee that they gave their lives willingly, knowing their deaths would undermine the Gurun dynasty."

"The psychological profile of Lidmila, Durwen, and Alatar all point to a propensity for martyrdom. If any or all of them felt their deaths would undermine Queen Darla's reign or the future of the Gurun dynasty, all evidence collected during routine medical scans and interviews suggests that each of them would gladly lay down their lives in service to such a cause," reported Fëawen.

"I have seen the same data and I agree," confirmed Torr. "What says the abbess of Ten-Ar?"

"The data is conclusive, Your Highness. Collected brain scans indicate heightened neural activity and elevated heart rates when all three were exposed to positive images of the Gurun dynasty – such as images of Your Highness's and Her Majesty's wedding, as if they were somehow traumatized by seeing such happy images of Gurun dynastic prosperity," reported Althea.

"There is nothing more dangerous than an enemy with a martyrdom complex," affirmed Lord Knight Malvyn. "Such an enemy will risk anything for the chosen cause, fearing neither death nor pain. With your permission, Your Highness, I suggest the knights of Ten-Ar begin specific training in countering such an enemy – in concert with the archers of Balister and the star pilots of Xing-li, of course. Long ago our people waged war upon each other. Perhaps it is time to rekindle those traditions, refocusing them on fighting far more dangerous enemies than rival houses."

"I have no objections," smiled Honourable Lord Marcus.

"But can the rest of the Great Council be also persuaded in this?" contended High Priestess Aina. "My authority as high priestess is not as far reaching as once it perhaps was. People will not do as I direct simply because I order it."

Honourable Lord Marcus's eyes flashed with irony, "Perhaps together we may combine our spheres of influence and create a greater response from the Great Council."

"If it is the will of Her Majesty, I shall comply," bowed Aina.

"Make it so, Your Grace," commanded Prince Consort Torr.

"There is still the matter of what to do about these three murders," reminded Aisling. "We never got to present our findings before the Great Council. Clearly we cannot allow further scandal to permeate our government. Kendric and Aurnia have been proven innocent of these deaths. Miranda remains un-mourned. Action is required to settle all of this."

Lady Fëawen rose from her seat and meandered to Marcus, placing her hands on his shoulders and massaging his upper back flirtatiously, "Perhaps if you, Honourable Lord Marcus, were to take our findings to the Great Council you could negotiate a legal settlement affirming the innocence of the prince and his new wife."

Marcus put his arm around Fëawen's waist, feeling the soft sensuousness of her tender body under her gossamer gown. His fingers caressed her with arousal, "If you wish, milady."

"I do," flirted Fëawen. "As for Miranda's death...perhaps we should agree to say as little as possible – for now, anyway. It is clear she was murdered because she found out something that someone did not want reported to the Great Council. But without knowing exactly what that is...prudence dictates silence. Whoever killed her is most certainly attending to any reports similar to whatever Miranda was murdered for."

"Agreed," affirmed Torr.

"So, Honourable Lord Marcus, what can I do for you this shir-or?" smiled Fëawen from the antechamber to the parlour where she saw her counselling clients. Like many mind healers, Fëawen utilized a group of chambers, parlours, and antechambers connected by a network of doors to her private living space. Loving the water and the Amba Mederi Ocean in particular, Fëawen's home was located on the twenty-seventh floor of a thirty story sky rise apartment building a mere 0.8645 li 里 from the ocean in Bira Hecen. From her apartment's many bay windows the Amba Mederi Ocean was readily visible, soothing away the stress of healing minds. For work, Fëawen wore, as she did this beinor, a simple kirtle with a full skirt sweeping off her hips made of a medium-weight linen-like material. More durable and professional than the gossamer fabrics she wore on more formal occasions, she found these modest kirtles comfortable yet heavy enough to help her retain her professional mental discipline. Around her neck she wore a jewelled pendant fashioned as a variation on the Gurun heraldry – more ornate than the heraldic jewellery traditional for betrothals and sparkling with what appeared to be blue-white diamonds and Beinarian rubies mosaicked together and hanging from a chain of Beinarian silver.

Marcus smiled at the young mind healer, "I was hoping we could talk."

"Of course. Come into my parlour," beckoned Fëawen. As both sat down on the couch Fëawen used for client, Marcus put his arm around Fëawen's waist casually. "So what do you wish to discuss, my lord?"

"Our future," winked Marcus, his fingers exploring Fëawen's thin frame at the waist. Testing her, he let his hand cross over to her belly.

Fëawen pretended to ignore him, "What future is that?"

Marcus put his left hand on her cheek, fondling her face and hair, "I think you know." Slowly, with a feather touch at first, he kissed her. "You know what I want."

"I can't imagine. Perhaps you would care to tell me?"

Marcus slid his right hand to the hem of Fëawen's skirt, slipping his fingers, then his entire hand onto her shin, then her outer thigh. Breathing hard, he slipped his fingers to her inner thigh. Fëawen kept her composure as she felt a finger penetrate her, caressing her inner body. Slowly, then more boldly, he pounded her with his fingers. Kissing her more aggressively he whispered into her ear, "How do you like that?"

"Is that all you plan to do, Marcus?"

Marcus sneered, "NO." Removing his hand, he hitched up her skirt, unfastening his trousers and pulling himself closer to her, his body ready to strike its target.

"Stop. You are not my lover. You are not my husband. What gives you the right to do this to me without my consent?"

"I head the Great Council, that gives me the right, woman."

As Marcus touched his body to hers, she touched her pendant's jewels. The side door opened. Lord Knight Elendir aimed his laser crossbow, "Desist or die."

Angered by the suddenly interruption and the plasma bolt pointed at him, Marcus plunged himself into Fëawen fiercely. Instinctively she yawped in pain. Elendir fired, striking near Marcus's heart. Falling onto Fëawen, he looked up into her eyes even as his blood soaked her dress, "Why?"

"I know who you are, who you were, and what you plan to do. I who was Keelia of house Ten-Ar and Anlei, daughter of Queen Isabelle, remember you, Cariadoc...as you remember me."

Marcus hissed at her, "Yes, Anlei. It is I. You denied my son a place at your side, bedded that bastard of mine and gave him dominion over us all. The least I could do was disgrace you, hurt you once and for all."

"Not this time, Cariadoc. The Gurun dynasty continues. We still prevail."

"One detail you forgot, Anlei, I still had you. I felt you around me like a wife to her husband. Whatever you do now, you are still mine."

"Did you forget that healing parlours are covered cameras? Everything you have done since coming here has been broadcast to healers across six houses. The disgrace is yours," hissed Fëawen, hitting him and knocking him off her with a grunt. Pulling down the skirt of her dress to restore her modesty, Fëawen rose, freed of him at last.

"Soon our revenge will be complete. Beinan is ours," threatened Marcus. Breathing hard, he closed his eyes and released his spirit.

Her enemy dispatched, Fëawen collapsed into the chair where she usually sat to treat her clients. Closing her eyes, she shivered. Her body hurt from Marcus' attack. Feeling her own pain at last, she looked up at Elendir, "Never before has a man violated me."

Elendir knelt beside her, laying his laser crossbow carefully onto the clean swept floor, "Are you okay, Mother?"

"Across all the lives I remember, Elendir, it has never come to this. Janus came close, you recall in our history – but never so far as to...."

"What can I do for you?"

"He went further than we planned, Elendir; he was right: he's had me. Nothing can ever change the way his body seized mine, the way my body caressed him as if I welcomed him, the sensations my body sent through me when his hand... I wish Corann or your father were here. But they are dead and I am cursed to remember as if Anlei and Keelia were alive too. Who am I but a freak cursed with these memories?" wept Fëawen.

Elendir wiped her tears and held her as he did when he was a small child and the flesh known as Keelia still breathed, "You are not a freak. You were brave beyond understanding. You knew what was coming, yet you sacrificed yourself anyway, knowing that by taking that risk to your safety and dignity you were protecting others. If it had not been you, it might have been someone else; for all we know, there WERE others he assaulted before you, women whose screams were never heard, whose blood was spilled without anyone knowing."

"My senses tell me he took others and killed them. It was in his mind as he violated me with his fingers. I felt them, all of them. He relived each one as he enjoyed what he felt was a mere prelude to a greater pleasure and conquest. He did not want me to just feel him take me against my will; he wanted to ensure my body enjoyed it at the same time, confusing the matter and destroying my ability to speak against him later. For how can it be rape if in the act he triggers ecstasy in my flesh?" trembled Fëawen.

Elendir held her close, "Rape is rape, Fëawen. There is no grey between wanting it and not wanting it. No is no. Never let anyone tell you different."

BE 6866, beinor 1 arrived with great splendour at the palace in Hejing. Though winter had come to Dong-Bei, the new fallen snow only brightened the feeling of celebration at court. This beinor would be unlike many beinors the palace had seen in many yen-ars.

At shir-or 5.345, Queen Darla and Prince Consort Torr processed through the throne room to their customary places with the usual amount of fanfare. As they sat, the herald cried, "All rise for their highnesses, Kendric and Aurnia, Prince and Princess of Beinan."

Slowly, stately, and both wearing crimson glided with platinum and diamond belts and circlets, Prince Kendric and Aurnia, now formally elevated to the rank of Princess-Consort, processed through the chamber, a tiny bundle in Aurnia's arms. Elendir strode directly behind Kendric as he walked. Fëawen followed Aurnia as her lady in waiting. The quartet bowed as they reached Queen Darla and Prince Consort Torr's thrones. Queen Darla motioned for Kendric and Aurnia to rise, "What tidings do you bring Beinan on this beautiful beinor one?"

Kendric and Aurnia turned to face the assembly, "Your Majesty, it is our pleasure to present you with our first born child since our marriage, a daughter whose eyes sparkle like the jewels in your crown."

"What name give you to this child, heiress to the throne of Beinan?" asked Darla ceremoniously.

"We name her Constance, Princess of Beinan," declared Kendric triumphantly and handing the baby to Fëawen.

Fëawen bowed, and then ascended the steps to Queen Darla who gleefully accepted her granddaughter into her arms. Queen Darla kissed her granddaughter's forehead, "Constance, daughter of Kendric and Aurnia, I welcome you to Beinan. Long may your reign be when it is your turn to be queen." Playing with the baby for a xiao-shir, Darla rose, "This child is the future of Beinan. In her turn, she shall rule Beinan."

"Mitharnilia. Mitharnilia. Come quick," shouted the thirteen yen-ar old Corann, smiling broadly as he ran across a field covered in wild flowers. With wavy dark auburn hair bordering on a reddish-black and emerald eyes, the boy was lanky, athletic, and agile with the looks of a four year old Earthling boy.

Mitharnilia, by contrast, stood willow-like and petite with golden auburn tresses confined into a neat and regal crown braid laden with a sprig of fresh wild flowers. As Kendric and Aurnia's first born daughter, she retained a regal air, even among the sprawling fields and wild flowers around her. Her manners were as refined as the princess she was in fact, even without the benefit of her younger sister Constance's title and inheritance. Born a bastard to her father, before her parents' eventual marriage, Mitharnilia found herself caught in between the forces that tugged at her little sister whose path seemed so much clearer than hers could ever be. No political duties were put upon her, nor was any pressure to pursue a particular vocation, even at this late yen-ar. In the palace, she was simply the older sister to the princess, nothing less and nothing more. At the age of twenty yen-ars she begged Elendir and Aisling to permit her to live with them in Bira Hecen, away from the gossip of court, becoming a sort of goddaughter to the couple and helping them as best she could when Aisling gave birth to her son Corann. Now, at forty-seven yen-ars, she found herself chaperoning the boisterous little boy.

Corann therefore considered Mitharnilia his sister – and treated her as such. Frustrated by Mitharnilia's lack of response to his calls, he sprinted to the young royal, "Where have you been? I have news. Come, come."

Mitharnilia hugged Corann, kissing his brow, "What is it, Corann?"

"They ACCEPTED ME!" pranced Corann.

"Who?"

"Lord Knight Malvyn and the other teachers at the monastery...Lord Knight Malvyn's going to teach me to be a knight like father."

"You are too young to become a knight, Corann. Do you mean you've been accepted to study to become a squire?"

"Yes. Yes. Can you believe it?" yelped Corann gleefully.

"Only if you've improved your laser crossbow skills! Are you finally hitting the target?"

"Does that mean you want to see?" smirked Corann.

"Lead the way," smiled Mitharnilia.

Corann led the princess 458 zhang 张 to an outdoor target range situated within sight of one of the Ten-Arian dormitories. At the range lay a yellow line 14.9345 zhang 张 across used to demark the 70 zhang 张 between archers and their targets. Two zhang 张 behind this line, Lord Knight Elendir strung his recurve bow as Corann and Mitharnilia approached. Seated on a bench 5.823 zhang 张 away from the firing line relaxed Lady Aisling, Lady Fëawen, and Princess Aurnia who each chatted with one another casually in the temperate clime. Above them the sky glistened a clear green under a calm upper atmosphere that gently softened the bright light of the Beinarian sun. Fabkus chirped in the surrounding trees happily. It was a fair beinor for target practice.

As Corann and Mitharnilia reached the line, Elendir hugged his son warmly, "Ready for your lesson?"

"Can I show Mitharnilia what I can do with the laser crossbow, please?" begged Corann.

"After you practice a few rounds with your nara crossbow," endorsed Elendir. "Do you remember how to draw it?"

"Same as the laser crossbow," smiled Corann, picking up a small, Nara crossbow braced against a tree.

Elendir picked up his Nara crossbow laying on the ground 14 cun 寸 away from Corann's, "No, not exactly. Let's go over it again. Okay, now remember; brace the stirrup with your foot so it doesn't move when you draw the string to the latching clip – like this. I know laser crossbows don't use the stirrup, but you will never draw a Nara crossbow unless you put your foot in the stirrup and brace like this." Elendir put his foot into the stirrup of his crossbow, and then slowly drew his bow string up the stock to the metal latching clip until it locked into place. Watching his son replicate his movements, he picked up a wooden target quarrel as he removed his foot from the crossbow and righted it to horizontal, "Now rotate the quarrel until the flat side is down and rests stably against the stock. Yes. Exactly like that. Keep your crossbow horizontal, sight carefully, and then fire when ready." Stepping to the yellow firing line, Elendir sighted, and then fired at the centre most target. With barely any rotation, the quarrel sped into the target six degrees right of the centre point. It was a good hit, but far from perfect. Corann stepped to the firing line to address the same target his father fired at. Steading himself, he sighted, and then pulled the crossbow trigger. THUMP cried his quarrel, landing two degrees to the right of his father's, closer to the centre. Elendir smiled.

"I want Lord Knight Malvyn to be proud of me. I want to be the finest knight that ever lived," bounced Corann.

Elendir lowered his Nara crossbow and hugged his son, "Study hard and you will be. I could have worked harder on my weapons skills when I was a boy, but chose to divert some my time also studying the healing arts, perhaps to honour your late grandmother and grandfather who were two of the most kind and skilled healers among all Ten-Ar. Both my parents died when I was very young, remember?"

"Why they did die?"

"We don't know why exactly," interjected Mitharnilia. "Your father has spent many yen-ars trying to find out for the safety of us all."

"Maybe I'll help you one yen-ar and we can go together on an adventure," smiled Corann hopefully.

"Study hard and we may yet," hinted Elendir. "Now, would you like to continue our target practice?"

"Yes, please," bounced Corann, picking up his laser crossbow. Elendir smiled, picked up his own laser crossbow, led Corann to the correct target for practice, and resumed his lessons.

"Prona maria adducere validissimo vento aura. Fortis vela quasi falcon alas. Robustus clavumque adfixus mihi puppis. Peritus manus operari semper. Nos perducere domum," sang the crew of the caravel Nenel as they prepared to set sail from the port of Cir Calen. Carved into the Nenel's bow was the heraldry of house Cashmarie, its heraldic field painted bright green against its sailing ship. The Nenel glistened tawny white, its outer hull made of Nara wood, the same tree famous for its delicious berries. Nara trees were the lightest and strongest of Beinarian flora, coveted as much for their lumber as for their fruit. Across every city and town in Dong-Bei, municipal assemblies and private citizens favoured this beautiful tree, lining boulevards, filling parks, and decorating their lawns with it. Public food forests and gardens provided nutrition to the poor even while beautifying their spaces and converting toxic dilast into nirlar.

"GCOMHLACHT AG AIRE," shouted Lord Círlen of house Cashmarie. At once the singing stopped as the crew snapped to attention, saluting Queen Darla, Prince Consort Torr, Princess Aurnia, Princess Cathryn, and Lady Mitharnilia as they processed aboard ship regally, Princess Aurnia clearly feeling more comfortable than her companions whose steps onto the ship deck were far more tenuous.

On the dock nearby watched Prince Kendric, seventeen yen-ar old Princess Constance, and Lady Fëawen. Princess Constance started to weep suddenly, "MOTHER!" Comfortable on board ship, Aurnia looked towards Constance's voice instinctively, perplexed by her apparent distress.

Lady Fëawen stepped up from behind the prince at Constance's cry, "Something is wrong! Call your knights, My Prince. There's danger here."

Almost as if in response, one of the crew members, Lord Yelu, fell overboard with a massive, almost humorous splash. Laughing he cried, "Anyone going to help a hapless sailor?" His cohorts started to laugh. Yelu dived under the water playfully, secretly creating distance between himself and the Nenel.

Smiling at Yelu's apparent mishap, Queen Darla tried to suppress a giggle. Aurnia, an expert sailor herself, was not amused. Recognizing possible danger, Fëawen reached for Kendric belt, touching an alert button to summon his hidden retinue of Gurun, Ten-Arian, and Xing-lian knights. Kendric glared at her for 0.34 xiao-shirs as twelve knights converged on his position anxiously, including the king's knight-protector and champion, Lord Knight Lytsar. Queen Darla and Lady Mitharnilia stepped closer to the central mast protectively while Princess Aurnia tried to reach the side edge of the deck in case she needed to jump.

Beneath their feet, the deck gave way as first one explosion, then another, destroyed the finely wrought planks of the Nenel in a blaze that shot up all the way to crow's nest. The sails of the Nenel burst into flames. Constance wept. In 0.845 xiao-shirs the explosions ripped the Nenel apart completely in a fiery blaze. Bilast filled the air. Instinctively, Lytsar and his fellow knights pulled Kendric, Constance, and Fëawen away from the dock. Pulling their charges into Cir Calen, they allowed them to neither stop nor look back until they reached a full 1.3 li 里 from the burning wreckage that was the Nenel.

Finally allowed to breathe, Fëawen looked towards the smoke rising up from the remains of the Nenel, her eyes wide with remembrance, "Janus is here."

Kendric glanced at her disbelievingly, "Janus?"

"His reincarnation, my king. I don't know who, I don't know where – but he's here," wept Fëawen.

"King?"

"Your family, Sire; the explosion hit only a xiao-shir after they boarded. All that remains are your daughter, your nephew, and yourself. As of this moment, you _are_ king, Sire," apprised Fëawen.

Still in shock, a single tear rolled down Kendric's cheek. He was KING. "Would it do any good to investigate who destroyed the Nenel?"

"We know who did it, Sire: the ghosts of our past," confessed Fëawen.

"They must be stopped, Lady Fëawen, for _her_ sake," commanded King Kendric.

" _That_ , I fear, will be easier said than done."

Two beinors later, on BE 6884, beinor 198 Kendric and a smaller than usual court gathered together in the throne room for Kendric's coronation. Customarily new kings and queens were crowned by their predecessors who rarely waited until their deaths to relinquish power. With both his grandfather Gareth II's murder and now his mother, Queen Darla I's likely murder aboard the Nenel, there was no previous sovereign to place the Gurun royal coronet on his head. At his request, High Priestess Aina performed the ceremony, passing the coronet to Lord Knight Elendir who sat it upon his head. Princess Constance watched with uncertainty, still too young to understand much more than her mother was dead. Her cousin by Princess Cathryn, Lord Lixin, whose father was still unknown by all but his dead mother, fidgeted. Without a father and his mother dead, and with his bastard status denying him a title, Lixin felt lost and confused. A dark cloaked figure noted Lixin wandering. After six xiao-shirs he approached the boy, "Are you okay, my lord?"

"Who are you?" asked Lixin fearfully.

"My name is Alatar. I am a relative of yours on your father's side," replied the cloaked man.

"What do you want?" scowled Lixin sceptically.

"To take you away from court and the palace. I have a home for you where no one will care that your mother never married your father, where you will be honoured and loved as your father's son."

"Do you know who my father is?"

"Of course; he sent me to find you. His name is Nasse, son of Eletar and Elita. Would you like to meet your father and his parents? The rest of your family is dead. Well – except for your cousin Constance and your uncle Kendric, but I think he's too busy now to look after you," slithered Alatar.

Lixin smiled, "I would like that. There is nothing left for me now that grandmother is dead. I never did like uncle Kendric. He's not nice to me."

Alatar smiled, scooping up the boy of nineteen yen-ars into his arms and enveloping him inside his cloak. No one would see Lixin in the palace for many yen-ars.

"And so, on BE 5897, beinor 12 King Lyr III's son, Ingram, was crowned King Ingram I after his father was found dead, pierced with five crossbow quarrels, in the throne room alcove that now bears his name," recited Princess Constance confidently in front of her tutor, Lord Priest Argul of house Miyoo, the same Argul assigned to accompany Lord Knight Elendir to Bira Hecen with the soil samples he collected at Central Nan-li Healing Centre, seventy seven yen-ars before.

"Very good, milady. And who was the son of King Ingram?" quizzed Argul.

"Prince Ejen who became King Ejen on BE 6160, beinor 56, along with his new bride, High Priestess Wehe who, it is said, seduced Prince Ejen into marrying her," smiled Princess Constance.

"And what do you think about High Priestess Wehe?"

"I think she was politically astute, a woman who recognized that she could better serve our people through the bed chamber of the king than she could simply as the head of our faith," assessed Constance.

"Do you think it is appropriate for a woman to do so?" asked Argul.

"Why not? Men seek power through marriages to powerful noble women...why should not women do the same? Everything I have read about Wehe indicates she was vastly more educated and intelligent than her husband. Should not the wisest of our people hold such influence?"

"And should a man come whose education and intellect are greater than yours...would you accept him in your bed so that he could rule through you?" quizzed Argul.

Constance laughed, "Well that, my lord tutor, is what you are here to prevent...are you not? And...well...I suppose it also would depend on how well he served our people's interests in my bed chamber. Perhaps I would not care if he were more educated or more intelligent if he pleased me well in private." Spinning around playfully she added, "After all, if my husband is to do a husband's duty upon me and give me children to ascend the throne after me, he had better please me well," Argul rolled his eyes at the young princess, triggering more laughter from Constance.

Suddenly Princess Constance's political droid and lady in waiting, RM7 flew into the palace classroom where Argul tutored Constance, "My Lady. My Lady. You must come."

Sobered by the sudden appearance of her droid, Constance's face whitened unexpectedly, "RM7? What's wrong?"

"Come, you must come, Your Highness. Something terrible has happened," shrieked RM7.

Princess Constance bowed politely towards Lord Priest Argul, "Forgive me, milord. May I please...?"

Argul, understanding, shooed her, "...please, please, Your Highness. You were crown princess long before you were my pupil. Attend to the business at hand."

"Thank you, my lord tutor," acknowledged Constance, following RM7 out of the classroom and through the palace.

RM7 led Princess Constance to the throne room and towards the memorial alcoves built to honour notable kings and queens of Beinan. She stopped in front of King Lyr III's memorial. There, on the floor, lay her father, King Kendric, surrounded by a pool of greenish-yellow blood, his favourite schlager sword enveloped by his blood. Five crossbow quarrels pierced his chest. Constance's eyes widened, "Just like Lyr III." As comprehension slowly reached into her mind who the man on the floor was, tears began to swell in Constance's eyes. Her father was dead. Her father was dead? By the same means as her forefather? How could this be? Why here? Why now? Why in the throne room? Why with a crossbow when Beinan possessed dozens of more effective and more silent weapons over the last twenty thousand yen-ars? Regular crossbows were more for parades and heritage lessons than for real use in war. Why? Why kill him _this_ way?

Constance looked at the sword at her feet and picked it up, soaking the sleeves of her sapphire blue kirtle in blood. No blood clung to the blade itself, only its hand guard and hilt. Memories flashed before her of watching her father duel with Lord Elendir for fun. Her father taught laser épée at the Ten-Arian monastery she remembered suddenly. He knew how to handle a blade, both heritage and laser versions. Killing him by blade would be almost as difficult as killing a knight of Ten-Ar or knight of Gurun with a sword. Understanding filtered through the shock that still filled Constance's mind and body.

Tears fell from the princess's eyes. Looking up and wiping tears off her face, her eyes caught more of the scene around her. Kendric was not the only casualty. Following the path of blood on the floor she found twelve heavily cloaked palace guards sprawled on the floor. Some were pierced with laser spears still stuck through their bodies. Others were slashed by some sort of sword from the looks of the wounds she could see. With so many protectors in the throne room, how could her father fall to any weapon short of a bow or crossbow, weapons used across Beinarian history, even on original home world, to kill the strongest of Beinarian leaders?

Finally, Constance gaze fell upon the single woman among the dead. Kneeling, she turned the body over and gazed into the lifeless eyes of her mentor and friend, Lady Healer Fëawen. Fëawen dead? How? Looking carefully Constance noticed bruises on Fëawen's neck – finger shaped bruises.  Had she fallen intercepting whoever killed them? Beside Fëawen lay Lord Knight Lytsar, King Kendric's knight-protector and champion, his body pierced with crossbow quarrels like her father.  Constance gasped. Lytsar was a good man, one of the king's most faithful servants and her father's favourite duelling partner.

Not knowing what else to do, Constance raised her voice in song, her notes cracking at first from grief, then growing stronger with courage and regal resistance,

"He was a strong and noble lord with piercing eyes of grey.

He sat upon his noble throne shining like the dawn.

His sword flashed like the brightest star.

He led our people well.

Yet here and now he lays in blood pierced with arrows.

He was the friend of many knights.

He loved the warrior games.

His heart was won by a lady fair for marriage they did wait.

A kindly prince, his duty carried him to another's bed.

And on her death true love returned, finally they wed.

He felt the grief of children lost to murder and to pain.

I was the youngest of his blood.

I'll never be the same.

Here lays my father and my lord.

I know not what to say.

Except my father and my lord was slain here on this day.

Here lays my father and my lord.

I know not what to say.

Except my father and my lord was slain here on this day...."

As the last note faded from her voice, Princess Constance looked up. Twelve courtiers stood four zhang 张 from her, drawn by the sound of her voice. Constance looked into their eyes. The gathering knelt respectfully. Her father's head court herald stepped forward, "All hail Constance, Queen of Beinan."

"I am not yet come of age, my lord. How can I be queen?" asked Constance fearfully.

"Queen you must be, my liege – or the Great Council will choose someone else, someone who craves power, not service to our people," cried one of the courtiers, his jet black hair and metallic blue eyes twinkling from among the crowd.

"Summon High Priestess Aina and Lord Knight Elendir. We will perform the coronation ceremony as soon as they arrive. RM7, summon healers of Gurun to bring our honoured dead out of this place. Let High Priestess Aina perform their funerals as soon as I am crowned. Prepare no reception. This beinor is dark and my heart is filled with sorrow. Let all of Beinan mourn with me, even as I accept the Gurun throne," commanded Queen Constance.

# Chapter Nine: Ascent of Queen Constance

High Priestess Aina and Lord Knight Elendir arrived at shir-or 9.0, just two shir-ors after RM7 found King Kendric's body. With minimal ceremony, Constance processed through the throne room unescorted in a simple white konyn wool gown decorated only with the Gurun heraldry on her breast in silver and outlined in part with red thread. Reaching the dais, she knelt before High Priestess Aina, taking her customary vows of service just as her father had exactly 20 yen-ars before to the beinor. At dawn her people would celebrate the new yen-ar BE 6905, beinor 1. As she felt the Gurun royal coronet with its platinum, blue-white diamonds, and Beinarian rubies lower onto her head from Elendir's hands, she knew she could not celebrate the new yen-ar...not now and perhaps never again.

Rising from her coronation, Queen Constance heard the herald cry, "Long live Queen Constance," With tears in her eyes she sat down in her throne for the first time, her heart and soul weighted with the office given to her before her time.

Shir-or 3.25 arrived quickly. The newly crowned queen found it impossible for her sleep. This duty was the one her heart was far more ready for than her own coronation. Lord Knight Elendir steadied the young queen as the small gathering listened to High Priestess Aina's eulogy concerning the wisdom, strength, and honour of King Kendric, Lady Healer Fëawen, Lord Knight Lytsar, and the other knights whose bodies lay concealed in wood caskets arranged together on adjacent wooden platforms on the banks of the Amur River. As High Priestess Aina completed her final prayer, Lord Knight Elendir handed Queen Constance a ceremonial torch.

Shaking and trying to control her composure, the queen stepped to the first wooden platform upon which her father lay. Taking a deep breath, she touched the flames of her torch to the wood platform beneath him, "Goodbye, Father. I do not know how to rule without your steady hand to guide me!" Despite her best efforts, the queen stumbled, almost dangerously, closer to the pyre. Lady Priestess Aisling caught her, nudging her to safety. Taking the torch from her, Lady Priestess Aisling lit first Lady Healer Fëawen's funeral platform, then Lytsar's. Shawms played. Lord Knight Elendir took the torch from Aisling, and then lit the remaining pyres. In three xiao-shirs, the flames co-mingled, merging ashes across the honoured dead. The first of the fireworks for beinor 1 burst into the air. Dawn broke over the horizon. Shouts of celebration could be heard from across the river by everyday Beinarians fully unaware of the proximity of the royal funeral to them. In two shir-ors Queen Constance would tell them what they lost just a few shir-ors before with an announcement on the Beinarian Central Broadcasting Network. She hoped by then she would be ready.

"Her Majesty calls into her court Lord Engineer Kian of house Xing-li," cried the herald.

Auburn haired and green eyed, Lord Kian stepped out from among the courtiers in the palace throne room wearing a dark green doublet and black wool trousers. Gold embroidery outlining the Xing-li heraldic star decorated the centre of his tunic; delicate knot-work outlined the neckline. Metallic blue cording laced his simple doublet closed; the same cording piped all of the seams of his doublet. Taking the customary bows and kneeling before Queen Constance on her throne, he dared meet the queen's soft eyes, "Long live Your Majesty."

Queen Constance, now forty-two yen-ars old and on the throne for just over three yen-ars rose, inspecting the young man at her feet, "It is said, Lord Engineer Kian, that you have improved our people's reach into the universe that is beyond our atmosphere."

Kian bowed his head humbly, "I am not certain, Your Majesty, how useful my improvements are, but yes, I have endeavoured to improve upon designs that have endured across thousands of yen-ars. My new engine filters out the radiation created by argene, making the argene power source safer to pilots and passengers alike. My experiments also show that my more efficient design has doubled the speed of my star craft prototype compared to the top speed of existing interstellar craft, allowing us to reach other galaxies in less than a yen-ar of flight."

Curious, Queen Constance stepped down from the dais until she could touch Kian's face. Noticing her proximity, Kian took her offered hand and kissed it chivalrously. Constance smiled, "Come with me. I would have you refreshed from your long journey to my presence." Still holding her hand, Kian rose and followed the queen who led her to her private garden.

Kian looked around at the trees, flowers, and herbs around them, "Is there where you receive all those whose achievements in science you value?"

Constance smiled, "No...just the ones I find especially handsome." Taking him to her private gazebo prepared with food and drink she offered him a chalice of Nara berry mead, "I read your research and examined your calculations. I am truly impressed."

"Thank you," answered Kian nervously, taking the chalice from her hand and enjoying a sip. "Forgive me, my liege; I still do not understand why you wished to see me in such an intimate and private setting."

"You are the first man to truly impress me, Lord Engineer Kian. Since my father's death, my heart has grown _cold._ My tutors taught me our people's history; not since original home world has anyone led any house while still so young. It fills me with terror and loneliness." Constance measured her next words carefully, hesitantly, taking three sips of mead before she found herself able to elaborate, "I _like_ you. I wish for your companionship, if I may ask for it?"

"You are queen of Beinan; you may command anything you wish."

"Not anything," hesitated Constance, "If I make a mistake, the Great Council will strip me of my throne and give it to someone else, someone older, greedier, and less concerned with the good of all our people." Constance cast her eyes down, afraid to speak, "I need help doing this."

"What is Your Majesty's wish of me?"

Queen Constance paced her gazebo, "I wish for many things, most of which I fear to ask for."

"Name one, Your Majesty."

Constance looked at him shyly, "I wish you would come to me, now, here perhaps, to my bed. I am drawn to you and wish to feel the comfort of you as a man to a woman. I know I am not of age and cannot marry until I do – but you asked my wish..." Constance took another sip of her mead, "...is it too much to desire you to court me, perhaps even become my consort when the time comes? I know I just met you, but my heart dares?"

Kian touched her cheek and whispered into her ear, "Command it and I am yours. If I may comfort you or ease your cares with my touch, then let it be. If you know your heart already, then ask it and I am yours. I will take you now if you will consent to be my wife at the appointed hour."

"I wish it," whispered Constance, trembling and enveloping herself into her first romance embrace.

"I not have the pendant of Xing-li with me now, but if you will wait a shir-or, I will retrieve it from my accommodations. Then let the betrothal be made and sealed. Can you wait for me?" Constance nodded vigorously, shyly. Kian kissed her for the first time, "I shall not be long, my queen." Queen Constance breathed hard from the kiss, her first kiss to the lips in her young life. When his lips parted from hers, he bowed, and then hastened away.

While Kian rushed to secure the Xing-li heraldic pendent that would allow him to form a legal betrothal with the queen, Constance changed her attire. With RM7's help she chose a crimson low-cut kirtle with bag sleeves and a flowing skirt, then processed back to the gazebo, Kian only steps behind. Smiling, she turned and looked at him. Kian's gaze at her gown spoke volumes her to; he was well pleased. Kneeling, he took her hand, "Constance, Queen of Beinan, will marry me at the hour appointed by our people? Will contract to marry me in legal betrothal, sealed to me for all the beinors of our lives by the joining of our flesh? Do you choose me to sire your heirs in the service to our people?"

"Yes, Kian of house Xing-li," smiled Constance shyly. "I call to you to be mine, now and for all the yen-ars to come – until death takes us. Sit beside me as my prince consort. I choose you for this humble service."

"I accept this service, my queen; so mote it be for all the yen-ars of our lives," vowed Kian, fastening the necklace around her neck. The star of Xing-li rested between her breasts which his viewpoint allowed him to observe in their milky whiteness under her gown. Kian slipped his hand down her gown, caressing her right breast. Constance felt her breath change with the touch. Stepping slightly behind her, he worked at the lacings in the back of her gown with his free hand as he continued to caress her seductively. Pulling down her gown off her breasts, he knelt and softly kissed her, caressing her until she trembled. Constance closed her eyes as Kian made love to her, filling her as she never had felt before. Spent, Kian whispered into her ear, "Are you pleased with your choice, my queen?"

Constance caressed him tenderly, "Only if you promise me to never take another to your bed."

"You and you alone shall caress me like this," vowed Kian, beginning another round of lovemaking in the garden. Constance kissed him fiercely as she felt him, felt the wonders of him making love to her. Kian braced himself against her, and then pleasured her once more.

Constance woke the next morning feeling odd inside. She was too young for this by the law and yet she knew what she wanted. Kian roused slightly in the softness of her bed beside her, the euphoria of the night before illuminating both their bodies with a soft glow. With adolescent curiosity, Constance let her fingers drift under the covers to his body. Kian opened his eyes and swept her into his arms, "Are you pleased?"

"Will it be like this when we are married?"

"Better, my queen."

"Constance."

"Mmmm my queen sounds so much more erotic. It pleases me to bed the queen of our entire planet," flirted Kian.

"Is power what you want in exchange for my bed?" teased Constance.

"Power doesn't compare with seeing and touching you naked, my lady. That is all the reward I want for pleasuring you."

"Do I please you, Kian?"

"Yes, oh yes. Better than my late wife ever could."

"You were married?"

"Yes, when I turned fifty yen-ars old; I am a grand-nephew by marriage to your late grandfather Lord Healer Torr, whom perhaps you know had five sisters. Prince Torr was the best of us. I hope I can say his name without grieving you, Constance," expressed Kian.

"You do me honour by your words, but pray continue regarding your marriage."

"Proximity to your grandfather after his marriage to Queen Darla made me a desirable match. My father was a star pilot and an explorer; despite the recent trend in house Xing-li to avoid contact with other worlds. Interstellar exploration and navigation runs in our blood, you might say, a habit and heritage politics cannot override. When I was forty-five yen-ars old, my father met a young pilot from our house just a yen-ar younger than me, the daughter of one of the house elders who serve on the Great Council. Before I could think, I was in front of a bunch of people, important dignitaries and told that unless I married her upon turning fifty yen-ars old, house Xing-li would vote against Queen Darla on some – I don't remember what – but something she proposed to the Great Council. Feeling a duty to my father and a greater duty to my great uncle, I did what they asked. I was handed a broach, said the words I was told to say, and before I knew it, I was... with her, the first time I ever saw someone without her clothes on. I was only forty-six at the time. She didn't appeal to me. It was like my body was doing what it wanted, but without the power of my mind or heart behind it. It felt... empty. So different than it feels with you," Kian reached for Constance and kissed her tenderly.

"Was duty why you, why we?" asked Constance.

"No, my queen; you are lovely to me. When you indicated your interest, I felt this curiosity about you as I never felt towards her, a desire; a need to be with you that is beyond my scientific understanding. Now that I've had you I feel this ravishing hunger to have more of you, as if I will never be full and never fully pleased until I find you quickened with life of my bringing upon you. Forgive me for my candour, my queen, but the image of you quickened with my child is the most erotic and intensely intoxicating concept. I cannot rest until I find you so." Kian kissed her hungrily.

"Once we are formally married, Kian, you may quicken my body as often as you wish. I yearn for the beinor when you hold our first child," flirted Constance. "But you have not yet finished your story. You were married to someone you did not wish to marry – how are you not married to her still?"

"For five yen-ars after our wedding I played the charade expected of me, occasionally going to her bed either out of duty or if she played enough with me to trigger a strong physiological reaction that overrode my natural disinclination towards her. There were times, no doubt, she used drugs to achieve her aims; this seems to be the method of choice among arranged marriages, it would seem, to provoke unwilling partners into intercourse. Finally, her provocations stopped. She came to me one night speaking of a lover she had found, someone with brown eyes named Yelu, I think; I never heard anything beyond that name. She said he was more suitable to her and a far better lover. I was not surprised given my indifference towards her. Then one beinor, she flew to Dong Nan Fang, allegedly to test some sort of experimental low altitude shuttle. Her shuttle blew up over the Amba Mederi Ocean. Once the wreckage confirmed she died in the explosion, I was free. That was on BE 6882, beinor 175, twenty one beinors before Yelu was seen on the Nenel, right before it blew up, killing Queen Darla ..."

"... and my older sister," finished Constance. "Do you think Yelu was behind their deaths?"

"I do not know, but I would not be surprised. Death seems to follow him for some reason, yet while I grieve for your family, I do not grieve for my late wife, especially since she was carrying Yelu's child at the time of her death, a stain upon my honour. If I were still married, Your Majesty..."

"...you would not be here, now, with me."

"I just met you, Your Majesty, and yet I cannot imagine living a single beinor without touching you."

"Nor I with you, Lord Kian. Now, as much as I wish to lay here like this with you, I have a duty to perform – and so do you. I called you to court to show me the prototype of your new star craft."

Kian kissed her tenderly, "And so I shall – after you return to the court and I return to my room to dress in different attire than I wore last night."

"I cannot wear the pendant in public yet, Kian... will you be offended?"

"Our betrothal is sealed, my love. Declare it so at a time of your choosing, my dear, sweet, beautiful queen." Kian kissed her passionately, tempting both of them to ignore their responsibilities with another round of lovemaking neither had time for.

Kian returned to his chamber, changing his clothes and carefully grooming his wavy red-brown hair. Putting a single-blade razor to his face, he shaved, being careful to avoid missing any whiskers. Upon his white tunic he glided on a sleeveless doublet of silvery blue, its weave catching the light to simulate the heraldic star of house Xing-li. At his waist, he girt a belt of white leather, Xing-li stars carefully tooled all around it in silver-blue. Taking a final glance into the mirror, he picked up his tablet computer and a blue-grey cloak and headed for the palace docking port.

At the docking port, Queen Constance waited in front of a low altitude shuttle in a cerulean blue kirtle with bag sleeves, RM7 floating 7.923 cun 寸 behind her. On her breast she wore Kian's heraldic betrothal pendant. Kian smiled as he noticed the pendant, "I am honoured by your presence, Your Majesty."

"The others shall follow us in 2.56 xiao-shirs. By protocol, I should travel with my knights – yet something tells me I have nothing to fear travelling with you to inspect this new star craft of yours. Please, my lord, after you," bowed Queen Constance.

Kian led the queen three zhang 张 to a low altitude shuttle, pressing a code into his computer. The hatch open, its ramp lowering down. The queen entered, followed by Kian, shutting the hatch behind them as the queen found her seat in the passenger row behind the cockpit. Discretely, she moved her betrothal pendant to the inside of her kirtle, concealing it from view. Checking on the queen to insure she was safe and secure, Kian sat down in the pilot seat and engaged the engines. The low altitude shuttle roared to life, rising three zhang 张 before speeding out of the palace docking port and towards the arctic city of Olos-Mir, 14385.92 li 里 northeast of Hejing.

Snow glistened across the crystalline facades of Olos-Mir, the central city to house Xing-li. While bitterly cold, house Xing-li built Olos-Mir in an optimal location. For here, the thick upper atmosphere that typically blocked direct sunlight, moonlight, and star light grew transparent, giving residents an unhindered view of the universe beyond Beinan. Here the night was filled with stars like sparkling jewels in the sky. On most nights at least two of Beinan's moons filled the city with light. At perigee, individual craters on Biya Xiao-Yue shone so brightly that children as young as 18 yen-ars could readily discern and name each one.

Streaming through the clear night sky like a meteor shower sped four low altitude shuttles, led by Lord Engineer Kian. Almost invisibly against the star-filled sky they descended on Olos-Mir like planets creeping across the horizon. Finally, after 0.2 shir-ors, they landed in the docking port adjacent to house Xing-li's headquarters, a community called Xing Jishi.

Lord Engineer Kian guided Queen Constance down the ramp out of his shuttle courteously. Waiting and watching his guests assemble nearby expectantly, he addressed the group now before him, "My noble lords and ladies, Your Majesty, I thank you for coming to inspect the latest innovation in star craft engine decision, Please follow me." Kian guided them in a walk 1.056 li 里 from their shuttles to a laboratory measuring 20 by 47 zhang 张. Inside, they saw a blue-platinum star craft, its angular surfaces creating a pleasing geometry. The cockpit window glowed cerulean blue in an equilateral triangle across the front face of the ship.

Kian stood next to the cockpit's exterior with pride, "This is my prototype, the Liltaél. Please...allow me to show you the interior." Leading them through the open hatch, the group found the Liltaél able to accommodate all of them in the passenger area. True to Xing-lian sensibility, all but three of the passenger seats were convertible to tables and could be readily removed and stored if desired, all without sacrificing safety or comfort.

The cockpit itself accommodated up to three pilots with a highly sophisticated control console representing a clear upgrade from the controls most Beinarians utilized. Understanding each guest's need to explore, Lord Engineer Kian waited quietly in the back of the main passenger area while his guests played with the furnishings and explored the changes he'd made in the cockpit design. Among the most curious in the gathering were none other than Lord Knight Elendir and his son, Corann.

After another 0.15 shir-ors, Lord Engineer Kian raised his voice, "Now...if you will all come with me, I will show you the engine that makes the Liltaél truly cutting-edge." Guiding them around a corner and down a corridor 12 zhang 张 long, Kian showed them his engine, "This, my noble lords and ladies, is the biggest innovation in engine design since the start of our illustrious Gurun dynasty. As with previous designs, it uses argene at its central power source, but now, not exclusively at the core, as it was before. In my design, the electrical generating micro-coils are also made of argene, cycling and regenerating argene to consume only 1/1000th of the argene used in previous engine designs. This not only extends the range of the Liltaél to accommodate intergalactic travel on very small quantities of argene, but also enables the Liltaél to travel up to 7 million light yen-ars in less than a single yen-ar, putting distant galaxies within our grasp. Through its efficient use of argene, this star craft travels further and faster than any design known in our history."

"Impressive," commented Elendir, "Is this design exclusively for interstellar travel or can it be adapted for use on Beinan itself?"

"The design can readily be adapted to planet-wide craft – as long as there is a will within our society to change to cleaner, more efficient options. The engine itself is readily scalable. But because it uses argene differently than we currently use in our planet-wide craft, each one of those designs would have to be worked to accommodate it. It can be done, of course, but not immediately," answered Kian. "There is also the issue of adapting the technology towards argene synthesis from argun ore which, currently, releases toxic levels of bilast into our atmosphere. With the colder temperatures across 40% Xi-Nan Fang limiting plant life in the region, current mining and refining practices far exceed the capacity of existent plant life to convert these toxins into nirlar."

Kian scanned the gathering for evidence of further questions, "Complete schematics for the Liltaél are available in the reception area just beyond this laboratory for those who wish to study the design further. I am certain Lord Knight Elendir is not the only one among you who wish to review the technical data." With a nod of approval from Queen Constance, Kian led the group out of the Liltaél and to the prepared reception.

The unveiling reception for the Liltaél bubbled in ballroom 45 zhang 张 from Kian's laboratory. Apprentice engineers offered guests goblets and flutes of meads, sparkling wines, ales, and both Nara and kelan juice. Trays of sliced fruits and berries filled tables along with a variety of Dong-Bei cheeses, a favourite in Olos-Mir with the cold climate. In a silver-plated punch bowl, guests helped themselves to mulled Nara wine to take off the edge of the bitter cold. On a small dais musicians played Beinarian shawms, flutes, and harps. A small computer kiosk stood in the middle of the room, providing technical information on the Liltaél, its engine, and comparative data demonstrating the benefits of the new design from more than two hundred fifty different designs representing everything from low altitude shuttles to star craft to commuter trains and beyond. Queen Constance listened to the music happily, standing alone as she was not accustomed to being. After seeing to his guests, Lord Kian approached her, "I honoured by Your Majesty's apparent approval of my Liltaél."

Constance met his eyes, "It is a beautiful star craft, Kian. I can tell you worked on it for many yen-ars."

Kian observed her uneasy posture, "Would you care to dance with me, Your Majesty?"

"I would be honoured, Lord Kian."

Taking her by the arm, Kian led the queen to the front of the hall close to the musicians. Observing the queen's intent to dance, other couples quickly filed close to Kian and Constance, lining up in ordered pairs, the men in one column and the ladies in the other. The head flutist raised her head, playing the introduction to the first dance. With a synchronous breath, the rest of the musicians joined her in a slow and stately Beinarian variation of an English country dance with its many crossings and castings between groups of two couples each. With practiced steps, the queen relished the dance, though only her hands touched Kian's throughout the dance's many repetitions. On reaching the final note of the first dance, Kian and the queen bowed to one another politely.

Several more dances followed varying from Beinarian bransles to Beinarian court dances similar to Kian and Constance's first dance to Beinarian waltzes that broke the lines and circles into couples. Finally, Queen Constance bowed to Lord Kian, "Thank you, my lord. May I suggest a respite to enjoy the fine cuisine you have so generously provided herein?"

"Of course Your Majesty." Escorting her away from the dance floor, Lord Kian led her to the banquet tables.

As Constance helped herself to an assortment of berries and fruits, Lord Knight Elendir strode up to her, "Your Majesty, might I have a word, please?"

"Of course, Uncle."

Elendir led her to a quiet, private, and largely unused portion of the ballroom, "May I speak to you plainly, Your Majesty, as the daughter of my dearest friend?"

"I have never known you to be otherwise outside of the throne room's formality, Elendir. You have been a part of my life from the beginning."

"Then be now like the niece you have been in practice though perhaps not in fact, and answer me plainly: are you betrothed?"

"I... thought I had sufficiently hidden his gift by the shir-or of our arrival...."

"You did, perhaps, in the eyes of others. But I observed you, though briefly, while still at the palace when you were less guarded about the pendant's visibility. To whom are you promised?"

Constance blushed, "To Lord Engineer Kian."

"When?"

"After I saw him at court last beinor – it was an instinctive decision, an intuition I cannot explain consciously," confessed Constance.

"Are you sure it was not some adolescent impulse?"

"If it was, Uncle, I am bound to it for the rest of my life."

"Constance, I am not certain how conscious you are of this at this xiao-shir, but since the Great Succession Crisis, the life span of your family line has grown – short. No one of direct royal descent to King Ejen has survived past 300 yen-ars – even 200 yen-ars, middle age, has become difficult. You are the youngest queen crowned in the entire Gurun dynasty, still not of full legal authority over yourself. Be careful, my queen. Your life too many be cut short by whatever it is that is ravaging house Gurun," warned Elendir.

"I know, Uncle, believe me, I know. But there is something about this man Kian; it is as if I've known him in another life or something, as if perhaps he is my soul mate in some way. One look, one kiss on the hand and I knew I need to spend the rest of my life with him," stammered Constance.

Elendir embraced Kendric's daughter tenderly, as if she were his own, "I know, Constance, I know. I felt much the same way when I met my dear Aisling. It's hard to explain when you meet the one your soul needs to be with. But please, be careful. Too many I fear covet your throne – and your confidence. You are still very young, too young to rule, yet there is no other choice for house Gurun."

"Thank you for understanding. You are the nearest family I have; oh, I know, cousin Lixin is closer in blood – but not in heart or temperament. There is something dark about my cousin, Uncle. He keeps secrets and regards the rest of us like animals in some experiment or something. There's an air of mystery and superiority about him that frightens me. For all I know, he had something do with my father's death."

Elendir broke the embrace and looked her in the eye solemnly, "Perhaps he did. Someone inside the palace had to have bypassed security in some way. You cannot simply bring an arsenal of weapons, even heritage weapons, into the palace. Perhaps Cathryn's son is the key to the whole mystery none of us have been able to solve. If he was involved, my queen, you must be careful beyond words. You are the last of the Gurun dynasty. Should you perish before at least one heir of your body reaches the age of thirty, this dynasty ends. And remember: the old law forbidding daughters from ascending after their mothers still stands. You must produce a son to rule after you—AFTER you come of age and wed."

Constance nodded, tears filling her eyes, "Your warning is well taken, Lord Knight Elendir. Please kindly release me to the company of my beloved that this conversation may remain private."

"As you wish," bowed Lord Knight Elendir.

The rest of the evening flowed smoothly. When at last Kian was able to send his guests to their accommodations, he found himself alone with Constance at last, walking together with her in Xing Jishi, "My lady, may I enjoy the pleasure of your company this evening in my humble abode – or must you leave me for more formal lodging with your staff?"

"I am the queen of Beinan; in this I will indulge my personal desires," winked Constance. "If it is your desire to invite me, I would most gladly stay in your abode tonight."

Kian kissed her tenderly, "Please."

Dawn woke the young couple snuggling together in Kian's modest bed. Welcoming the bright sunlight, Kian observed the beauty of sun shining directly on Constance's bare skin and smiled, "Good morning, sweetheart."

Constance stretched and purred contently, "Good morning, my Kian."

"Will you return to Hejing soon?"

"I must. Will you return with me?"

"I cannot, as much as I wish to. While speaking to my guests last night I realized the imperative of adapting my new engine to other applications. Who knows when they may be needed? I am also aware of your private conversation with Lord Knight Elendir. Why does he speak to you so casually?"

"He and my father were best friends. He is family to me in ways that no living relation of mine can be. Not like I have much family left; he's right – the royal Gurun line is endangered. If I should perish before a son reaches the age of minimal legal consent at age 30, the Gurun dynasty ends. Even if we should have a daughter come of age, it's all over without a male heir. The Great Council would not change the law to permit Princess Anlei to come to the throne after Queen Isabelle; there is little or no chance they can be persuaded to amend the law now."

"The only way to guarantee a son is through artificial methods...."

"Which are illegal for the royal family to use," reminded Constance. "A bowyer of house Balister may use such aids, but I may not. The Great Council views it as tampering with the political process."

"And our children must be born in wedlock which we cannot be joined into until your fiftieth natal beinor," elaborated Kian.

"Yes," agreed Constance.

"What will we do, Your Highness?"

"Fall in love," she replied, kissing him and cuddling him tenderly.

Queen Constance ruled wisely and well, relying heavily on the advice and wisdom of her privy council: Lord Engineer Kian, Lord Knight Elendir, High Priestess Aina, and Lady Abbess Althea among them. Elendir and Aisling's son Corann flourished in his studies as a squire of Ten-Ar. As the yen-ars passed, Queen Constance grew more open regarding her romance with Kian. Finally, on her forty-ninth natal beinor, she formally introduced Kian as her intended prince consort, elevating him to the rank of Prince-Intended, and raising his public profile.

For Constance, the hard part of the courtship was now over. Kian formally courted her in public, performing the expected rituals and public displays of affection demanded by the populace of royal couples. Finally, on BE 6915, beinor 148 Queen Constance celebrated her fiftieth natal beinor with a private party held in her garden gazebo, Kian ever at her side watchfully.

The royal wedding of Constance and Kian brought joy and splendour to all of Hejing. Concerned about security, Constance and Kian confined their guests to their nearest friends, family, and the highest ranking members of the Great Council. Certain a threat to her life remained and mindful of her father's assassination in the throne room, Constance tried in vain to relax. Only when Kian held her at last in private and sealed their marriage formally in bed did Constance allow herself to relax and be just a young woman instead of an endangered royal.

That night Constance and Kian conceived a child, a son born to them on BE 6916, beinor 165. Prince Caranden, they hoped, would end the pall of fear that permeated the palace. This hope failed.

# Chapter Ten: Birth of Princess Anyu

"Your Majesty, bright blessings on you and our Gurun dynasty. A son. So soon after your wedding," cried Lord Lixin. "You...didn't do something illegal to tilt that in your favour now did you?"

Queen Constance eyed her cousin carefully, "Like mother, like son, I see, Cousin."

"It is bad luck to speak ill of the dead, Cousin, especially give you are likely to join them sooner than you think," smirked Lixin.

"If that be so, my cousin, may you join the ranks of the dead with my lifeless eyes peering into your equally lifeless eyes," countered the queen, watching as Lady Priestess Aisling bounced the queen's new-born son, Prince Caranden, playfully among a group other priestesses. As Constance drifted away from her cousin, she observed Lord Knight Elendir chatting with their son, Corann. At forty-six yen-ars old, Corann had grown into a strong and powerful squire. Taller than both his parents and more athletic, his biceps rippled under his finely woven wool tunic. The boy she had known and grown up with was now a young man almost ready to take his place in Beinarian society.

Pleased by the sight of Corann, she embraced first Elendir, then Corann, "Elendir, Corann. So glad you could come celebrate the new yen-ar with us."

"And miss being with you? Never. It was rare for me to be absent from court on beinor 1; your father and I found it a traditional and appropriate time to catch up," greeted Elendir.

"I remember...those were happy yen-ars. You both became family to me." With a winking smile, the queen turned to Corann, "Corann, you have grown more handsome than words. I am almost surprised you never tried to court me."

"You are the nearest I have to a sister, Your Majesty. Surely you know I cannot see you in any other light," replied Corann.

"May I ask a service of you, Squire Corann?"

"Of course."

"I have heard that our mutual ancestor, Princess Anlei, was guarded by a knight of Ten-Ar, your namesake if I recall. Upon your elevation, I wish for you to become my personal protector. My husband is a wonderful companion, but he is an astro-engineer – his talents and training are in math, science, and their applications. Should danger confront me, I would feel more secure knowing a family friend guarded my life, one who cannot be bought or broken by whatever threat persists across the yen-ars. Would you do me this service, Lord Squire?" requested Constance.

Corann bowed chivalrously, "I live to serve. If my life or death will secure your safety, my queen, then I offer it freely."

"So be it," acknowledged Constance. Returning to Elendir, she braved the question heavy in her heart, "Elendir, is it possible for the knights to elevate him before he comes of age? I know you waited until you were sixty for your elevation, something to do with additional training you chose for yourself, if I remember father's explanation. In light of the danger around me, would they consider my request?"

"Corann has exceeded all expectations in skill and faculties. I think it likely they can be so persuaded, Your Majesty," interpreted Elendir.

Bowing, Queen Constance excused herself, and then headed to Lady Priestess Aisling to check on her son. Lady Abbess Althea meandered to Elendir and Corann, "What was that about?"

"Young Queen Constance has listened to my foreboding, Althea. She wants house Ten-Ar to elevate Corann as soon as possible so he may attend to her safety."

"A wise precaution; would you like me to speak to the master knights? I am sure my position as lady abbess holds some small sway with them," understated Althea.

"Just a little," smirked Elendir. "Corann's become a finer archer than any I know of in house Balister, a credit to our house – just like his favourite aunt."

"You do me honour, brother. May I ask you not advertise my martial skills around court, though? It is considered inappropriate for the abbess of Ten-Ar to exhibit warrior skills."

"Perhaps, Althea, but perhaps your skills simply reflect the times we are living in. Hundreds of yen-ars ago, there was no need of a healer to learn self-defence. Now I fear all healers would do well to know at least rudimentary skills in hand-to-hand fighting, or at least some sort of weapon. One thing I know: mother and father would be proud of you. Do you remember them at all?"

"Not really, no. I was twenty-one beinors old when father perished and not quite seven yen-ars old when they bombed Our Lady Healing Centre in Bira Hecen, killing mother. You are the nearest I've had to a father. I remember how you checked up on me when we were growing up every shir-or you could find free. You even enrolled in the many of the same healing classes as I was taking so you could watch over me," remembered Althea.

"What else is an elder brother to do under the circumstances?"

"And now we have become the queen's nearest confidants, just by maintaining the ties of friendship that began so many yen-ars before she was born. _We are her family,_ more precious to her in many ways than her husband."

"When I confronted her regarding her relationship with Lord Kian...Lord PRINCE Kian right after their secret betrothal, she said something to me about not understanding why she chose him and sealed herself to him when she had not known him a single beinor at the time. Something about that reminded me of my conversations with Lady Healer Fëawen. I wonder if she and Kian were not married in another lifetime, a lifetime outside of her immediate memory that still draws her to be close to the same gentles she cared about in the distant past," mused Elendir.

"Your wife would be better qualified to answer that question, Elendir."

"My wife is a woman of great faith and virtue, but she is no expert on reincarnation. For some reason it seems like the mind healers sense this better than our own clergy. Perhaps house Miyoo no longer sees as well or as clearly as once they did."

"Or perhaps something or someone is blinding their sight with a spiritual weapon none of us understand. Your investigation showed father was killed by some radical of house Shem, was he not? What if there are radical forces in that house capable of resorting to tactics our society finds immoral?"

Elendir raised an eyebrow, "Like bombing healing centres and killing those whose calling is to serve?"

"EXACTLY."

"Corann, son of Elendir of the Knights of Ten-Ar and of Aisling of house Miyoo, for many yen-ars have you studied and suffered, enduring the trials set before you of mind, body, heart, and spirit. Now the journey's end has come and a choice lies before you. Do you choose to join the brotherhood of Knights of Ten-Ar – or leave for another path?" asked Lord Knight Malvyn ceremoniously. Corann bowed his head, his crimson robes, the same crimson robes worn by his father at his elevation, fluttering slightly in the gentle breeze streaming through the ceremonial hall.

As he had done with Elendir, Lord Knight Malvyn placed his strong hands on Corann's crown, blessing him. Corann looked up and answered Malvyn clearly, "Master, hear me now before these witnesses. I choose as I have always chosen all my life: to dedicate my mind, body, heart, and soul to this house and this place. If the brotherhood will have me, I vow myself to be, now and for forevermore, sword brother and peer, a lord knight of Ten-Ar."

Lord Knight Malvyn removed his hands from Corann's head and anointed the centre of his brow with fragrant sacred oil, "Then in the name of the Knights of Ten-Ar and as your master, I confer on you the rank of Knight and Lord of Ten-Ar." Against tradition, Lord Knight Elendir knelt next to his son bearing the Ten-Ar great sword in a gold and silver scabbard on a strong leather belt in the bright green used for knighthood elevation, girding him. Lord Knight Malvyn stepped aside slightly as Lady Abbess Althea placed the coronet of the knights of Ten-Ar upon her nephew's head, its Beinarian sapphire sparkling proudly. Kissing his brow, Althea and Elendir together raised Corann to his feet proudly. Elendir hugged his son, now more than just his son – his sword brother. Corann relished the pride in his father's embrace. Things would never be the same again between them.

The customary reception began with its normal hugs, salutes, and even some small hazing from his now former classmates. The horseplay stopped with the sound of footsteps on the ground. Glowing with pride and with her belly swollen from the end stages of pregnancy strode Queen Constance. Corann immediately knelt reverentially, his hands bracing his balance on the ground. The queen touched the crown of his head, "Corann, son of Elendir of house Ten-Ar, I call you to service."

"I hear and obey, my queen," answered the newly minted knight.

"Newly made are you a knight of Ten-Ar. Yet only a knight of Ten-Ar or a knight of Gurun may serve as I require this beinor."

"Ask it, Your Majesty, and it shall be done," vowed Lord Knight Corann.

"Guard and protect my person and that of my children that this dynasty may persist, despite the danger that surrounds us."

"I live to serve Your Majesty. By my life or death, I am yours," vowed Corann.

"Then rise, my protector," commanded Constance, offering him her hand. Corann took her hand and rose to his feet. Constance kissed him tenderly on the lips, "Now you shall serve only me." Corann felt fire from the queen's sensual kiss, a fire that bewildered him by its unexpected passion. This was not the kiss of a woman raised as if she were his sister. Uncertain what to do, he bowed his head and took a watchful position, guarding her even in the safely of his own reception, the single kiss burning him as he had never felt before.

Thirty beinors passed. Queen Constance lay in her bed, sweating from labour. Lady Healer Darah attended her with her watchful brown eyes. Pushing hard, the queen screamed as finally the head of her child emerged from her body. With one last gasp of effort, the queen pushed her baby out completely. Darah severed the umbilical cord with a laser scalpel, and then cleaned the infant, extracting the fluid out of the baby's lungs. The baby wailed. Wrapping her in a small blanket, Darah handed the princess to her mother, and then held out a scanner to collect data on the child's size, weight, and health. Constance gazed into her daughter's dark grey eyes, "Leonora I shall call you." Raising her eyes to Darah she asked, "May I see my husband?"

Bowing, Darah opened the chamber door, beckoning Lord Prince Kian. Lord Knight Corann followed a few steps behind. In his heart he felt a pang – was he jealous? Why be jealous? The queen was more like a sister to him than anyone. He loved her, of course, but respected her marriage to Kian like any brother. Why this pain now? From two zhang 张 away, Corann watched as Kian held and cuddled his new-born daughter. Leonora was so tiny, so precious. And yet Corann knew the law: this princess could never be queen. Princess Leonora cooed comfortably. Kian kissed his daughter's forehead, then the lips of his wife and queen. All was as it should be – except for him. Not wishing for his feelings to be evident to others, he approached Queen Constance in her bed, bowing, "Your Majesty, may I be excused for the shir-or? You need this time alone with your family and I feel my time would be most productively spent in your service through research."

Preoccupied by the discomfort in her body, her daughter, and Kian, Constance answered him distractedly, "Of course – return in two shir-ors and do not leave the palace grounds. I may have need of you."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," acknowledged Corann, leaving the family to be alone at last.

Lord Knight Corann strode to his nearby apartment and to the computer terminal panel on the wall nearest the carved wooden doors at its entrance, "Computer. Confirm security clearance: Lord Knight Corann, son of Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar."

"Security clearance confirmed," answered the computer.

"Query: were there recordings made in the throne room from BE 6904, beinors 195 through 198?"

"Confirmed."

"Display recordings." Corann sat down in his dining area chair, watching the recordings. For the first shir-or, nothing unusual showed up. Public servants talked to one another. Some read or edited documents. Things looked very normal until suddenly Corann recognized Lord Lixin meandering about. "Computer, reverse playback at shir-or 4.350 and play in real time. Audio on."

The computer reversed playback slightly, showing Lord Lixin entering the throne room and meandering near its edges. With a jolt, the audio blared with voices. Sunlight reached the stained glass window pane behind King Kendric's throne, casting its dancing light onto the floor. The herald cried, announcing the entrance of Lord Yelu before, unexpectedly, departing the throne room on some "errand."

Lord Yelu bowed to King Kendric, who acknowledged him with the normal formalities before the conversation made an unexpected turn, "Lord Yelu, rumour has it your blood and mine are comingled." King Kendric stepped down unexpectedly from his throne to Yelu's level. Lady Healer Fëawen followed them closely as a sort of retainer, motioning four of King Kendric's guards to join her.

"Indeed, Sire. Lord Lixin is the son of my half-brother Nasse. I suppose that makes your nephew mine as well."

"Princess Cathryn used her _charms_ on many men. No doubt your brother had something of value that she coveted and obtained through him."

"Perhaps she wished to have a son, a prince to assume your father's throne...."

"My father was not king, Lord Yelu, but prince-consort. My mother was Queen Darla; Princess Cathryn, as the daughter of a reigning female sovereign, was never eligible for the throne – nor are any of her progeny."

"Not even if such a son were the only option for continuing your Gurun dynasty?" asked Yelu furtively.

"What are you saying, Lord Yelu?" asked Lady Healer Fëawen suspiciously.

"Nothing, milady," sneered Yelu.

Fëawen furtively raised a small medical scanner, concealing it behind the king's back. It beeped softly. Kendric's champion, Lord Knight Lytsar of house Gurun, noticed the reading and crept closer to the king, motioning his fellow knights to surround Kendric and Yelu. Yelu grabbed Fëawen by the neck, choking her, "Your death was not required, Healer. You chose badly to interfere."

In 0.234 xiao-shirs, Lord Knight Lytsar offered the king his royal blade. Whirling, Kendric drew the offered schlager sword, a heritage sword that allegedly belonged to King Ejen, its pommel encrusted with Beinarian rubies. Throwing Fëawen's lifeless body to the ground, Lord Yelu drew his own blade, a schlager with an ornate hilt and hand guard, and cut down towards the king. Strong and physically powerful, the king easily parried, deflecting Yelu's stroke back towards his face. Lord Knight Lytsar drew his blade, attacking Yelu at a ninety degree angle from the king's position. "Your Majesty! Behind me!" cried Lytsar.

"I can take him myself," answered King Kendric, attacking Yelu.

With his free arm, Yelu pressed a button on his belt. Lord Lixin appeared from out of the shadows and aimed his crossbow. Lord Knight Lytsar fell to the ground, pierced with Lixin's quarrel, yet still attempting to fight and protect the king. Other guards rushed towards Yelu, apparently unaware of Lixin's position. Yelu spun, slashing the nearest guard and disarming another. Catching the disarmed guard's laser spear, he quickly plunged the spear into the guard's heart as Lixin continued to fire with his crossbow.

Finally, after three point four xiao-shirs the king was alone, his protectors all either dead or dying and incapacitated. Together Lixin and Yelu drove the king into the memorial alcove for King Lyr III with a series of attacks, counterattacks, and parries intended to move the fight into the alcove. Kendric smiled confidently, his sword still drawn, "I am one of the finest swordsmen in all of Beinan. You cannot beat me with a blade, Lord Yelu."

Lord Yelu took Lixin's loaded crossbow from him, "I don't have you, Your Majesty." Yelu fired the first quarrel at point blank range.

Kendric fell to his knees, dropping his sword with a loud clang, "Who are you?"

"Yelu the Bastard of house Ten-ar," yawped Yelu, firing another quarrel as Lixin laughed next to him.

"How – who is your father?" demanded Kendric, feeling the life ebb from him.

"Elendir, son of Devon," shrieked Yelu, firing the third volley into Kendric. With eyes wide open in shock and dismay, King Kendric succumbed at last in death. Loading a fourth, and then fifth quarrel, Yelu fired twice more to ensure the king's death. Lord Lixin kicked the king's body vengefully. Yelu eyed his nephew, "Enough of that; it will not take the palace long to discover the king's death. We must leave and wait for another chance to finish what we came here for." Yelu and Lixin disappeared into the shadows.

The computer recording faded. "Computer, download recording to my personal computer," commanded Corann.

"Confirmed."

"Open a channel to Lord Knight Elendir of house Ten-Ar in Bira Hecen."

In a xiao-shir Elendir's face appeared on screen, "Good morning, Corann. How is the queen?"

"With her husband in private. She just gave birth to a daughter, Leonora."

"Happy news," smiled Elendir.

Corann hesitated as he explained the reason for his call, "Father, I decided to go back into the security recordings regarding King Kendric's murder in the throne room. Am I the first person to watch the recordings?"

Elendir took a deep breath. After all his efforts to discover the cause of the healing centre bombings, he had learned the hard way regarding the complacency of a people who had grown perhaps too accustomed to terror, "Perhaps, Corann. I am sorry that we must have this conversation. I had hoped to spare you – at least for a while."

"Spare me what?"

"Corann, the real world is not the place of justice and honour that is the Ten-Arian Code. Far from it. Ten-Arian ideals claim that truth and virtue are to be valued and pursued – but rarely does anyone mind those ideas as goals to pursue anymore. Instead, most people do whatever is easiest, Corann, not what is right."

"I don't understand."

"I have worked hard over your life to shield you from the lessons I learned when I was your age, lessons only drilled into me by working the mines of Amba Narel. Back in BE 6827, then Prince Kendric commissioned me to investigate the death of my father in Nan-li. After I returned with physical evidence from the healing centre where your grandfather perished, I came with Queen Darla to report my findings to the Great Council. Instead of being welcomed and well received, we were met with hostility. I do not have the same mental talents as your namesake, Corann, but I could still feel it inside that at least some members of the Council were not surprised by my evidence; they were clearly in the know. But for reasons I never discovered, that information, including what I brought before them, was never publically acknowledged or released. Instead, everyone carried on their lives as if nothing had ever happened.

"Concerned by what I found, I returned to Xi-Nan Fang, operating under a cloak of secrecy and lies. There I met a woman named Elita, a descendent of Lord Janus – the very one who attempted to seize power in BE 6326 during the Great Succession Crisis. She used me, Corann, distracting my purpose for ten full yen-ars, hiding her family's role in your grandfather's death. She took advantage of my youth, of my _vulnerabilities_ in judgment that only age and experience can amend. Finally, she played me physically, giving me some sort of drug on my seventieth natal beinor that _compelled_ me...."

"... Lord Yelu told King Kendric that he is your son."

"That is possible given my drugged state that lasted for beinors. I don't remember exactly how long anymore. When I think back to the last beinors I knew Lady Elita, I find myself; I cannot describe it. Maybe a healer knows the exact physical consequences of being given the drug. Kendric's first born, Prince Ohtaraha, was conceived the same way; Princess Lidmila routinely drugged him to compel him into her bed."

Corann's face turned ghastly white, "I – I didn't know."

"It was before you were born, why would you? After the prince married Lady Aurnia, we all tried to put it out of our minds. There was no reason to dwell on the agony of the past when so much possible happiness laid before us. Your mother and I were just starting to feel settled and comfortable in our marriage when Lidmila and Ohtaraha committed suicide by taking bilast; how they received it, we still do not know. Lady Advocate Miranda was helping us investigate that when she was murdered."

"Did anyone find out who killed her?"

"Definitively?"

"Is there any other way?"

"There was no formal investigation, Corann. Everyone suspected Honourable Lady Alidir of house Slabi; Lady Advocate Miranda was, after all, found in her office. But no one pursued it further. House Slabi took Miranda's remains, cremated them, and then pretended she never existed."

"Almost like what happened with King Kendric," remarked Corann casually.

"...And with hundreds of thousands of others who have died since the first bombings in first Xi-Nan Fang, then spread to other parts of the planet. Ten yen-ars passed before anyone outside of Xi-Nan Fang even knew that someone was bombing healing centres and other public places. It feels as if there is a massive conspiracy of silence, one enforced by a growing complacency across our planet. People die violently and no one cares, not even if the victims are rich and powerful. It is as if we are so used to death that no one wants to know how or why, let alone to do anything to stop all of this," professed Elendir.

"No one cares King Kendric was murdered? Not even the queen?"

"Queen Constance is barely of age and became queen at an unprecedented thirty nine yen-ars age. No one has begun a reign so young. I care for the queen deeply, as if she was your older sister, but, as I was at her age, she lacks the judgment she needs to be a strong and independent ruler. With the royal imperative to continue the Gurun dynasty, she is far more focused on her marriage and motherhood than she is in ruling, at least for now. I have never seen a monarch so overwhelmed and absorbed in her or his own personal affairs, no doubt the result of power being forced upon her so many yen-ars before she was ready. King Kendric only ruled twenty-yen-ars, Corann. She had no reason to believe growing up that she would need to assume power before the age of one hundred fifty."

"My time is almost up, Father; I need to return to the queen. What should I do now that I know the truth about her father's death?"

"Watch over her, Corann, very carefully. I would come myself, but my closeness to King Kendric I raises my profile in Hejing, along with my particular history as a friend and confidant of the royal family. To protect the queen, you must utilize what you know and take advantage of your youthful anonymity. Your name and identity is not known in the Great Council as mine is. Use this to improve palace security. Go behind her back, if you need to. As the queen's personal knight protector, you have the authority to do whatever is needed to keep her safe."

Corann hesitated to raise the unspoken subtext developing in his relationship with the queen, "Father, what if she _commands_ me to be alone with her in her private chamber? She is magnificently beautiful, why I did not see this before my elevation, I do not know."

"She is Queen Darla's granddaughter and Princess Aurnia's daughter; of course she is intoxicatingly beautiful." alluded Elendir. "Her aunt Cathryn was the same."

"If she should _ask me_..." blushed Corann uncomfortably.

"... then listen to your heart and your training. If it comes as a formal royal command, Corann, are you bound to comply, no matter what is asked of you."

Corann fidgeted, "Thank you, Father. I will try to do my duty as best as I may."

"As must we all," declared Elendir formally, disconnecting the transmission.

Fifty beinors passed. Finally fully recovered from pregnancy and childbirth, Queen Constance strode through the palace with a renewed vigour and beauty, her gossamer gowns clinging to her curves. Entering the palace practice chamber, the queen watched two knights spar with schlager swords. Noticing her, they halted and bowed. The queen smiled at them, then opened the door to the enclosed adjacent courtyard used for target practice.

Stepping into the bright sunlight she observed Lord Knight Elendir and Lord Knight Corann on the firing line, each with a heritage recurve bow in their hands. Elendir drew his bowstring to his ear, aimed, and fired carefully. The arrow landed ten degrees off centre. "Beat that!" teased Elendir at his son.

"With pleasure," smirked Corann, drawing his bow, sighting, and firing. The arrow landed five degrees off centre, directly into the bull's eye.

"Good! Good! You've been practicing," affirmed Elendir.

"Practicing, Father? _You_ are the one who needs practice," taunted Corann playfully.

"I'm not the archer you are, Corann that is for certain. But give me a schlager and I will show you what the protégé of Kendric of house Gurun can do," challenged Elendir.

Queen Constance sat on a bench five zhang 张 from the firing line. A lady-in-waiting approached her with a curtsy. Constance whispered to her attendant who curtsied in response, leaving them. Elendir lowered his bow, resisting it gently on the ground before walking over to the queen, "It is a beautiful morning, Your Majesty. If the sky gets any clearer we will all think we are in Olos-Mir, not Hejing! The sky is so beautiful though not as beautiful as our queen. To what do we owe the honour of your presence?"

"Fresh air, good company, friends; can you think of a better reason for me to join you?" beamed Constance. "How is Lady Priestess Aisling, Elendir? I have not seen her since Princess Leonora's birth."

"She is preparing for the formal blessing of the princess, waiting for Your Majesty's vigour to fully return. Are you now of such health that you are ready for the ceremony?"

The queen's lady-in-waiting returned, holding Princess Leonora. Queen Constance unlaced the front of her gown, exposing her both of her milk engorged breasts and putting the infant to her right nipple. Leonora began to nurse contently. Constance closed her eyes pleasurably as she felt the milk in her breast drawn out of her and into her baby. Corann starred at the queen who seemed to be relishing not only the feeling of feeding her baby, but the excuse to expose her breasts in front of Corann. Instinct drew Corann's eyes to her left breast. His eyes danced at the colour of her nipple, the exaggerated curves and softness of lactating bosom. Against his will, he felt his body respond to the sight. Elendir watched Corann's increasing uneasiness and obvious inner conflict with the wisdom of a man who has learned to recognize a woman's seductions through the hard lessons of repeated failure to avert them himself. Constance, it seemed to Elendir, was trying to provoke Corann into wanting to bed her, glorying in Corann's eyes upon her – and knowing that both protocol and Ten-Arian discipline meant that Corann would not act upon such a provocation by her unless commanded to.

At length, Leonora released her mother's breast with satisfaction. The queen cuddled her baby without recovering her breasts, "Tell Lady Priestess Aisling and High Priestess Aina I am ready for the ceremony that will bless Leonora and bestow upon her the legal title of 'princess.' Tell them to conduct the ceremony in seven beinors, on beinor 90, in the throne room here at the palace."

Lord Knight Elendir bowed, "It shall be done." Exiting with Corann on his heels, Queen Constance smiled, and then recovered her breasts as she refastened her gown while Leonora bubbled and gurgled happily.

"Are you sure you must go, Kian?" asked Queen Constance as her husband loaded his suitcase onto his low altitude shuttle.

Kian put his suitcase down and walked down from the entry ramp connecting the shuttle to the palace docking port, taking a deep breath to collect himself before answering, "Sweetheart, your majesty! Just because I am your prince consort does not mean I stop working. My laboratory is in Olos-Mir – as it should be. House Xing-li has based our work there ever since BE 1352 when Queen Cirwen resigned her co-sovereignty with King Balar of house Gurun, formally establishing the Gurun dynasty. The atmospheric conditions there make it the perfect place to research astrophysics, astronomy, and astro-engineering."

"What if _I_ don't want you to go?"

Slightly irked, Kian rolled his eyes, "Why not?"

Constance glided close to her husband flirtatiously, "I want another child; I think now would be the perfect time to try for one." Constance unlaced her husband's doublet suggestively.

Kian sighed, scooping up his wife into his arms, "Very well, but afterwards, you let me go to work for a few beinors?"

Constance nodded and kissed him as he carried her into his shuttle and closed the hatch.

"So my queen, are you satisfied?" panted Kian from the floor of the shuttle.

Constance tried to catch her breath, "It's a start."

"May I leave for Olos-Mir now? I promise I will be back no more than thirty beinors from now, then I am yours to hold captive in your bed for as long as you desire," suggested Kian. Constance nodded. Kian handed the queen her clothes as he dressed himself. Fully dressed again, Kian swept the queen into a tender embrace and kissed her passionately, "Good-bye; I will return and see you soon."

"But the danger; there was another bombing last night; this one only eighty li 里 from Olos-Mir."

"I am still house Xing-li; my shuttle is armed. If trouble should strike, I can handle it," assured Kian, opening the hatch for his wife. Constance stepped down and out of the shuttle and gazed at her husband mournfully, she hoped not for the last time.

Scared and still very much aroused, Constance returned to her apartment. Lord Knight Corann watched and waited near the entrance, "My lady! I seemed to have missed you this shir-or. Are you well?"

"Not nearly well enough, Corann, thank you! Please come in. I am in the need of company."

Corann bowed, "Of course." Following her into her apartment, Corann noticed the queen's agitation as she paced. "Can I help you in some way, my queen?"

Constance looked him in the eye, and then let her eyes drift. Corann was a truly attractive man four yen-ars her junior. As a newly elevated knight of Ten-Ar, his body was sculpted by a lifetime of hard work and practice learning mastery over dozens of ancient, traditional, and modern weapons. Even his modest tunics and loose trousers could not conceal the ripples of lean muscle moving every time he breathed. It was a stark contrast to Kian's attractive but more average muscle tone. Kian's strength lay in his understanding of science and mathematics that informed his sometimes razor sharp wit. But Corann – this was a truly viral and potent man towards whom she first felt the needles of sensual attraction – against convention and social mores given the relationship between their fathers. Curious about Corann physically, she brushed a loose lock of hair away from his brow, "You can help in many ways, Corann."

"Anything!"

"Kiss me, I command you as your sovereign queen!" Tentatively at first, Corann brushed his lips upon hers. Constance returned the kiss. Emboldened, Corann kissed her, responding in kind to the desire in her lips. Constance locked him into a prolonged passionate series of kisses, "Have you been with a woman, Corann?"

Corann broke the kiss and looked her in the eye, his arousal showing in his breath, "Never! Since my elevation, there has been but one woman I desire."

Constance unfastened Corann's sword belt. Sword and scabbard fell to the floor loudly. Putting her hands underneath his tunic, she pulled the tunic off him, exposing his upper body to her. For yen-ars uncounted Constance had imagined the sight now before her; this was better than all those yen-ars of fantasies. Constance embraced him, exploring his upper body with a bolstered yearning, "Do you know what I want of you?"

Corann breathed hard, "Yes. Command it and I shall endeavour to please you."

"I command it!" declared the queen, unfastening Corann's trousers. Naked, Corann unfastened the queen's gown, pulling it off her and revealing the breasts she had taunted him with during Leonora's infancy.

Corann crawled with Constance onto her bed, confessing, "I do not know what to do?"

"I do..." suggested the queen as she laid back onto her bed, pulling Corann to her.

"How do you like me, Corann?" purred the queen after Corann finished.

"It is nothing like my imagination, Your Majesty."

"Do you like that well enough to indulge me again?"

"I am yours to command, as with all things, I shall grant you all you desire if I can."

"I desire more of that from you, much more! My husband will be gone for at least twenty beinors, probably longer if I know him. You, my knight, I command to fulfil me in his absence."

"As you wish, but may I ask you a personal question, Your Majesty?"

"Constance," she corrected, "Titles are for out there or in my husband's presence. I am no queen in the confines of this bed, any more than I was when we were children."

"Constance – do you _love_ your husband?"

"Of course I do. He is the perfect consort for me."

"Forgive me. I am confused. If you love him – I am not complaining, but – _this_ between us has always confounded me. Ever since that first kiss at my elevation, the question of _why_ has dominated my thoughts towards you. Why did we?"

"Do you not know how attractive you are, Corann? You are every woman's fantasy; ever since we _grew up_ I have been curious about you physically, feeling the pull of my body towards you, wanting to know what you are like as a lover. Can you understand that?"

"I – of course, I guess. Do not think that over the yen-ars I have not noticed your _feminine maturity_. You are a very attractive woman to me. But then, why did you marry Kian if you were so attracted to me?"

"Kian is house Xing-li, for one. In this political climate it seemed prudent to choose from Xing-li as my grandmother Queen Darla did. Of course my parents provided an excellent example of how one may marry for politics and yet be _satisfied_ by a choice of the heart.

"Kian was the most attractive specimen among suitable candidates for consort among Xing-lians. I knew he could please me enough to sire the requisite heirs while serving as the best political candidate for consort available to me. To ensure I did not change my mind regarding his suitability as a match I made sure he betrothed me before I was of age, securing his loyalty through my bed and making it easier to conceive Prince Caranden. Of course your father was never deceived. But then, it is hard for anyone to conceal anything from him," reminded Constance.

"My father does not think that we inherited any of the traditional Miyoo traits; I have to differ from him on that; he's more astute and more foresightful, intuitive than he gives himself credit for," acknowledged Corann.

"Yes, he is! You are fortunate to have him as your father. That is perhaps part of your attraction to me – beyond just your incredible physique. I know you, Corann, and I know how dedicated you really are as a knight. I knew what I was doing when I kissed you at your elevation, that I was sealing your loyalty to me – and that eventually I would have to give in to my desires."

"So... now that you have what now? I have tasted that which I have wanted for too many yen-ars, how can I ever go back to what was before? I close my eyes and I see you in all your sensuality before me. I crave you now more than ever. I was jealous of you when you were being intimate with him before; I cannot imagine not feeling even more jealous having tasted that which is forbidden."

"It is not forbidden of you, not if I declare you as my formal and official lover," reminded the queen.

"I am not sure I am comfortable being known at court as such, Constance, even knowing protocol as I do. I do not wish to be paraded as some royal sex toy, marring the honour of your husband towards whom I feel so much esteem. I cannot imagine the injury to his ego once he discovers what has been between us in his absence."

"Would it please you more then, my knight, to pursue this in private? The rules do facilitate such privacy. Consorts are traditionally bedded in their own chambers. From this beinor forward, I shall endeavour to satisfy him there. But you, you shall have me here," proclaimed Constance.

"As you wish," he answered.

"If you have the strength now, there is something more I want of you."

"Name it."

"More!" commanded Constance, rolling herself on top of him. He gasped with pleasure as he felt the joining begin with her lovemaking. What had he gotten himself into?

Across Kian's entire absence, Constance indulged herself with Corann, barely appearing in court the entire time. Yen-ars of waiting to bed Corann made her especially needy of him physically as she indulged herself, making up for lost time. Across each beinor she summoned him multiple times to pleasure her – mostly behind the privacy of her curtained bed, but sometimes seducing him in her private garden. It was flood of physical intimacy after a long drought she could not resist; she needed each joining with Corann who somehow seemed to please her more than Kian at his best could.

Upon Kian's return to the palace, Constance came to him, not allowing him to disembark the shuttle until he was spent in lovemaking. In the first five beinors after Kian's arrival, Corann heard, but did not see his queen as she bedded Kian relentlessly enough to cover her relationship with Corann, fully satisfying her husband with the expected passion usually accompanying a long absence between spouses. Finally, at shir-or 12.35 during the sixth night, Constance kissed Kian, "So, my love, are you content?"

"I am spent, my queen! So much lovemaking from you, I have not yet had a chance to unpack my things!"

"Rest then," smiled Constance, getting up from his bed and putting on a gossamer robe that barely concealed her body. "I will see you in court at shir-or 5.50. I will try to get some sleep too!"

Kian nodded exhaustedly from the lovemaking, "Until then, my love." Five xiao-shirs later, the prince consort fell into a deep sleep.

Constance strode into her garden. Corann waited for her near the gazebo. Noticing her sheer robe, he tugged at the belt and nudged the fabric at the shoulders which fell upon the ground, revealing her glowing nakedness. Constance pulled at his robe which fell upon hers. In two xiao-shirs he was joined with her hungrily after almost six beinors of waiting to bed her. Constance indulged his every yearning – and hers – before rising with him, taking him to her bed where they fell into deep sleep in each other's arms.

"So, mein edel what do you think of my design?" frolicked Kian, preening Princess Leonora's golden red hair.

Now BE 6926, beinor 145 the seven yen-ar-old Leonora fidgeted in her father's laboratory, playing with her dress and stomping her feet percussively. Kian eyed her inquisitively. Finally Leonora shrugged her shoulders, "I dunno."

"I do not know," corrected Kian.

"Why?"

"Because you are the queen's daughter and as such must speak with the precision and accuracy of grammar and diction that is expected of the 'high and mighty Princess Leonora.'"

Leonora rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at her father. Kian stared at her disapprovingly. Leonora stomped her feet, "I wanna go! Please! Go outside play?"

"You cannot go outside and play, Leonora. It is too cold."

Leonora whined, jumping up and down, "GO!"

"No!" Leonora whined and wailed. Lord Kian took a deep meditative breath to control his frustration. "Leonora, stop! Right now, this xiao-shir, I mean it!"

Leonora whine, "Daddy!"

"Leonora, you have two choices: either sit down and behave like a princess or you can go back to your governess." Frowning, Leonora sat in a chair. Kian eyed her, and then went back to work. On his computer, he manipulated a graphic of what looked like a Beinarian sapphire with his fingers. With a tap, the crystalline structure shifted. A green light flickered over the three dimensional diagram with details about the proposed change. Rotating the image, Kian's eyes widened. Yes! This might work after all, thought Lord Kian as he flashed a glance in the corner of his eye at Leonora. "Computer, send schematic to Honourable Lord Ian for approval."

"Confirmed," answered the computer. Relieved, Kian exhaled and leaned back in his office chair.

"You are wasting your time, Lord Kian. There is no need to improve ciphers for survival on alien worlds. There is simply no demand for them," scolded Honourable Lord Ian. "Why don't you work on another engine; there's always a demand for faster, safer, better low altitude craft."

"I cannot believe my ears! We are the house that is most proficient at interstellar travel and you are telling me that the elders of our house can care less about interstellar travel? What do we do when this sun starts to die? Are we going to be mindlessly scrambling to preserve our people like we did last time?" protested Lord Kian.

"You are being paranoid, Kian. We have at least another twenty thousand yen-ars before we face such a danger again."

"Maybe, but how do we find our next home if we don't go out there and explore? Space exploration is not a waste of time."

"Kian, you may be the prince consort of Beinan, but as far as I am concerned, you are just like any other Xing-lian engineer. I grant that you serve as her majesty's proxy in the Great Council, but I speak for our house – in council chambers and beyond," asserted Honourable Lord Ian.

"Honourable Lord Ian, I do not contest your leadership of our house, but I have to disagree with you on scientific terms. Our house was built on our capacity to learn, explore, risk things that no other house would. House Xing-li braves dangers in the unknown that no other house dares confront. We were always the ones who made first contact with new species. We were always the one pushing the limits of what our culture can achieve in math, science, and engineering. Why turn aside from our traditions of exploration? Or is it possible you have grown complacent yourself, preferring to focus on the present realities of our world instead of the potential for new challenges out there, where no Beinarian has gone before?" explored Kian.

"How dare you challenge me!" shouted Lord Councillor Ian proudly.

"I can do my research without your approval. House Xing-li is not the only house that values scientific research...but I prefer to continue my work here, in Olos-Mir where I grew up and where I have proudly served our house with my work. There may be a beinor when such research is critical to our survival...when we may owe all our lives to advances in cipher technology. The universe is dynamic and deadly...my lord I do fear for our people if my research is undermined."

"I will not interfere in your research if you are that determined to pursue folly. But I cannot endorse it or recommend grants to fund it. If you insist on pursuing this, you must find your own methods for financing your work," compromised Ian.

"Fair enough, my lord. May I continue to work from my laboratory here – or must I find other accommodations?"

"You do not need to relocate. Stay, if you wish. But remember: your laboratory is only paid for through the end of this yen-ar. To continue using it, you must find 10,000 tai-ors per yen-ar or you will lose the space in favour of another, more _pliable_ scientist."

"May I secure funding from sources outside of house Xing-li?"

"Yes, of course. As many benefactors as you can manage to pay for it."

Lord Kian bowed at the waist, "Thank you, my lord," then strode out of Ian's office confidently.

"So, Lady Healer Darah, what do you think?" asked a nervous Lord Kian as he watched Lady Darah study his cipher prototype with a specialized medical scanner.

Darah adjusted a setting on the scanning computer, "You've made a forty percent improvement on the neutron concentrator and increased power efficiency by eight point one percent. Theoretically, this cipher can be used for up to seven yen-ars straight without replenishing the power supply."

"If I can raise the funds to keep my laboratory, I want to develop a more efficient argene refining process that can be done in at least small quantities at a time on long-range star craft. One of the weaknesses of our existing star craft designs is the lack of fuel replenishment capacity on smaller vessels. The bigger craft have the machinery needed to synthesize argene, of course, but not the small and mid-sized craft used for space exploration and inter-galactic travel. That's one reason I think it took over one hundred yen-ars for our people to find Beinan; our level of technology forced us to use fewer but larger star craft with limited maximum speeds. Even this yen-ar, we are in a trade-off between speed and fuel regeneration."

Darah turned off her computer and handed the prototype back to Lord Kian, "So far as I can tell, your design is very effective, a definite improvement in life support technology. As for your laboratory, why spend so much money trying to keep your laboratory in Olos-Mir? There are facilities here at the palace. Granted, the atmosphere is much thicker here, but you are not working on anything, at least this xiao-shir, that is hyper-sensitive to atmospheric conditions. It's not like you are studying impact craters on Biya Xiao-Yue or anything like that. Why not leave Olos-Mir to the astronomers and work on your astro-engineering from the relative privacy of a lab here? I am certain her majesty would approve such a plan; it does provide you more time with your family."

Kian pondered Darah's idea, "Yes, yes that could work. As chief healer of the palace healing centre, would you be kind enough to help me get started? You are, after all, the lead scientist here."

"It would be my pleasure. Oh – has her majesty spoken with you yet?" asked Lady Healer Darah.

"Regarding?"

"You do not know then? Her majesty is expecting another child," announced Darah. Kian looked at her with a mix of wonder, shock, and concern. "Do not worry, Your Highness, the queen is perfectly healthy, as is your daughter."

"We are having a daughter?"

"Yes, a very strong, healthy daughter. I ran a neurological test on her. She seems to already possess many of the neurological structures associated with a strong Miyoo heritage. You may just have the next high priestess of Miyoo on your hands once she is born."

"You think she will be born with the Sight?"

"I have no doubt she will develop the Sight, along with any number of known psycho-spiritual abilities. It's possible she will develop telekinetic abilities. She'll need strong discipline from mind healers, Ten-Arians, and certainly from High Priestess Aina in order to control those talents. Otherwise she could become quite a danger to herself – and anyone who crosses her," brief Darah.

"Does the queen know what you just told me about her likely development?"

"Yes, I've told her, along with High Priestess Aina – at her request of course. We have not seen such a genetic propensity in a single individual for six hundred yen-ars."

"Wasn't that King Ejen's reign?"

"More or less, yes. Ejen's marriage to the ruling high priestess introduced some rather powerful genes to the royal family line – on both sides of the throne. All of Anlei and Corann's descendants have retained the potential to be what I see now in your unborn child."

"We may need such a prodigy now, Lady Darah. Such gifts may be the difference between survival of our society...and its destruction."

"Now Your Majesty, PUSH! PUSH WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH!" urged Lady Healer Darah. Queen Constance panted; her gown and all her bedding soaked with the sweat of a long, hard labour. Neither her labour for Prince Caranden nor for Princess Leonora had lasted more than 1.698 shir-ors. But this child was different – as if she were afraid to formally enter the cold hard, terror-filled world. From across the room, Lord Knight Corann guarded the queen, his eyes filled with worry. Was this child his? He did not know, nor did he notice Prince Consort Kian making any inquiries on the subject.

Still, Corann knew, the Kian must have suspected something personal lay between the queen and him. As one of Beinan's best astro-engineers, Kian's mind was keen and scientific, even by Beinarian standards. Without a formal declaration in court making Corann the queen's official lover, their relationship was technically adultery – grounds for excluding any child he sired onto the queen from the succession. Was this why the prince consort never ran even the most basic genetic tests to confirm his paternity? Without proof one way or another and without a formal declaration by the queen confirming Corann's place in her bed, the law presumed all children of sovereign queens to be legitimate, born out of the marriage bed.

Queen Constance's care to bed both of them within 1.743 shir-ors of each other showed her shrewdness, creating a sexual alibi for her lovemaking with Corann while enhancing her personal enjoyment from each of them.

That pleasure from exploiting her sovereign privilege was far removed this shir-or. As each contraction hit, the queen writhed in agony, screaming so painfully it made the hair on Corann's arms stand up each time.

Outside the queen's apartment, Kian paced nervously, wanting to work to distract himself from the cries of agony yet unable to. Would the queen die in childbed?

Suddenly the queen's political droid, RM7 sped to him in haste, "My lord prince consort, you are summoned to the Great Council as proxy to her majesty!"

"W-what? Her majesty is in childbed right now – can't this wait?" stammered a stunned Prince Kian.

"No, Sire! Come quickly. The council says they doubt her majesty will survive her labour. You are summoned by Honourable Lord Eletar himself," urged RM7.

"There is no honour in 'honourable' Lord Eletar," growled Prince Kian. "He cares only for advancing house Shem and doesn't care if he has to cross the firm boundary between religion and secular government that has kept our society at peace since between we embarked on our great migration to colonize Beinan. Lord Eletar doesn't want democracy; he wants tyrannical theocracy with himself in charge of everything and everyone, just like Lord Marcus did before Lord Knight Elendir killed him defending Lady Fëawen."

"Begging your pardon, Sire, but your personal political vantage point does not negate the legality of the summons. You must appear, Sire, or I fear something dreadful might happen," grovelled RM7.

"More dreadful than what the queen has already suffered? Oh...very well. I will appear. Send a message to Honourable Lord Eletar that I shall be there within the shir-or," grumbled Prince Kian.

"Make way, make way for his highness, Kian, prince consort of Beinan," cried the herald as Prince Kian strode into the assembly chamber.

Confidently, Kian ignored the eyes of the councillors, weaving around them until he reached the podium, "Honourable councillors, I am here as her majesty's proxy. Your summons is ill-timed. Her majesty still labours in childbed."

"That is why I have called you here," challenged Honourable Lord Eletar, newly elected head of house Shem. "Rumours declare her majesty might not survive her labour...or if she should prevail, her life may not linger long afterwards."

"The queen still lives. Why call me to council now?"

Honourable Lady Elanda of house Ana rose, "Your son, Prince Calanden, will be eleven yen-ars old in fifteen beinors. He is too young to become king should her majesty perish."

"Her majesty is sixty-two yen-ars old, a young woman in full vigour. There is no reason to believe she will die in childbed. Therefore any talk of Calanden becoming king – this beinor or another – is premature," countered Kian.

"I do not think so," asserted Lady Elanda. "Three children in eleven yen-ars is hardly normal nor healthy. Surely she is weakened by birthing three so close together. It is out of our concern for her health that we now present you with a proposal: to install Honourable Lord Eletar as king-regent should her majesty fail to survive childbed."

"Since the dawn of the monarchy no one has dared call himself 'king' without first either establishing or continuing a dynasty, nor has any seized power in the name of another. This title you would bestow, 'king-regent' is but a veiled attempt to remove her majesty from office without cause save it be the presumption that her maternity makes her unfit to rule. In such case, I challenge the validity of any such measure as unlawful. For even in our darkest antiquity we always granted women to rule us – even if such elevations were less common in the past than this beinor," denounced Kian.

Lord Knight Malvyn rose, his countenance more troubled than during Queen Darla's reign. There was a look of defeat in his eyes, "Your Highness, some sort of measure needs to be in place. We cannot assume her majesty will survive."

"That, my lord knight, I do believe – but not by cause of her maternity. I love my queen, love her enough to have viewed the security recordings regarding the murder of her father, our great King Kendric that were given to me by Lord Knight Corann. Yes, I know all about it, and the complacency of this council. Why this Lord Yelu who claims to be the bastard unwittingly sired by the esteemed Lord Knight Elendir through deceit and trickery by Lady Elita remains at large is a mystery to me. The man killed our king – high treason at best – yet no one prosecutes him or brings him to justice? Why? Do we tolerate the slayings of royals as if they were mere puppets of this council? Nay, I say! Kings and queens of Beinan are not your puppets, though the power to impeach them is held as a sacred check against royal tyranny. They are not martinets to be destroyed at will. Through the Gurun dynasty we have been ruled wisely and well!"

Lord Eletar mocked Kian, "This comes, of course, from a Xing-lian puppet of the queen herself! Prince Consort Torr was your great uncle, after all! You are biased, my lord."

"And you are not, Lord Eletar? Your bias is greater than mine. For I seek no power – only the freedom to do what I do best – research and design technologies to take us to the stars and keep us safe when on alien worlds. This is noble work, the work of my house. From the queen I have derived no power, only the privilege of her bed and the right to guide of our children. I want nothing more from her. These are blessings enough," asserted Kian.

Eletar applauded sarcastically, "Well played, Your Highness. Yet the question still remains: will you assent to my assumption of power in your son's name should the queen perish?"

Kian met his eyes, "I will not."

Eletar looked over to a dark figure hidden in the shadows. Slowly he raised a laser crossbow, the loaded plasma bolt glowing in the darkness around him. The figure stepped forward and drew the hood away from his face, revealing him as Lord Yelu. Yelu sneered at the prince consort, "Pity. I had hoped to wait a few more yen-ars – but, since you insist!" Yelu started to squeeze the trigger.

Suddenly Lord Knight Malvyn leapt into action, drawing his sword of Ten-Ar, "Run, Your Highness!"

Kian grounded his feet, staring deeply at Lord Yelu, "No, my lord knight. I prefer it this way. Better if I am slain in front of the Great Council than slain in some dark alcove like King Kendric I or on board a ship like the Nenel like Queen Darla. Greater peers of Beinan than I have spilt their blood by this scum, this descendent of Janus, son of Cariadoc. For my lady queen and for the honour of house Xing-li, I am willing to die. Kill me now, Yelu, and every knight of Gurun and Ten-Ar will be roused; you won't get your chance to murder the queen!"

Yelu laughed hysterically, "So be it, Prince." He fired. Malvyn dove towards Yelu. The plasma bolt pierced the knight's heart, killing him instantly.

Yelu reset the crossbow, firing again. The bolt pierced Kian's lung, grazing the heart. Blood soaked Kian's tunic as each heartbeat killed the prince. Kian coughed, blood gushing out of his mouth as he struggled to speak, "Remember: this is not the end, only the beginning. Tyrants shall not prevail as..."

Yelu fired a second bolt into the dead prince consort, "We will see about that, prince!" Yelu rose to his feet, embracing Eletar, "So, are you ready to declare me king?"

Eletar eyed Yelu, his ambition curdled by Yelu's wanton violence, "NO! You are not ready. You do not deserve power. This is still a democracy. Rulers take the throne by consent of the people. You, Yelu the Bastard, are a blood-thirsty predator, kinsman though you are! You will rule over my dead body."

Yelu knelt at Kian's body, laying his hands over the bloody corpse to coat his hands in his enemy's blood. Rising he clasped Eletar's forearm with the blood, staining the wool, "This blood is as much on your soul as it is mine. Do not delude yourself otherwise, my lord! I have no trepidation about doing to you what I did to him. I give you two choices: ally yourself with me, or join that pagan scum."

"You exist because of me, boy; you won't hurt me. I am the instrument of your creation," averred Eletar.

"That only makes me your monster, stepfather, not your puppet. I shall do as I please and take what I want. I defy you or anyone else to challenge me," goaded Yelu. "Since it amuses me to see you squirm with what I might yet do, I will wait to claim what is mine. I have time; I shall wait!"

Lady Elanda confronted Eletar, "He is mad."

"No, he is far more dangerous," reflected Eletar.

"Corann! Corann! Where are you going?" shouted Queen Constance. Pale with childbirth, the queen found she could not rise from her bed. Nearby, Lady Healer Darah held the new-born princess as a healer-in-training scanned her to check her health.

Corann drew his sword hastily, "There is no time to explain, Your Majesty! Forgive me; I must attend to this!" Running through the secret corridors, Corann quickly joined up with Lord Knight Alexander of house Gurun, "Alexander, what do we know? Is her majesty in jeopardy?"

Alexander strode with Corann hastily, "We do not know, Lord Corann. Your father, Lord Knight Elendir has been summoned, along with Lady Abbess Althea. They will meet us at the great hall of the assembly."

"Is he dead?" persisted Corann.

"We think so, but we don't know how or by whom. A slaying in the great hall of the assembly has not occurred since King Tristen the Just of house Balister was slain in BE 50, ending the Balister dynasty. I'm sorry, Corann; I just do not have the answers you seek."

"Goddess help us!" exclaimed Corann as he joined Lord Knight Alexander in the low altitude shuttle bound for the Great Council.

By the time Corann and Alexander reached the council chamber, they found the hall empty – except for the two bodies lying on the floor. Elendir and Althea were already scanning both bodies with their computers. After a xiao-shir, Althea probed Kian's body with her fingers, her many yen-ars of training guiding her practiced hands. Noticing their arrival, Althea rose, "Glad to see you, Lord Knight Alexander, nephew. Both died of laser crossbow plasma bolts. Lord Knight Malvyn received a direct hit to the heart. Prince Kian died of internal bleeding; the bolt hit his heart by just 0.0036 cun 寸 with the rest of the bolt piercing his lung."

"Father, how could this happen? Malvyn was our mentor – and the prince! Who could kill him and why?"

Misty-eyed, Elendir clasped his son by the shoulders, "I found the crossbow used to slay them, Corann. As soon as I saw it, I ran fingerprint and genetic scans. There can be no doubt in my mind who killed them: the same man who claims to be my son by Lady Elita."

"Yelu?" cried Corann.

"Yes! I doubt it not he would be capable of this. He killed Queen Darla, Prince Consort Torr, Princess Cathryn, even King Kendric, my dearest friend. If he had something to gain by killing either or both of them; I have no doubt he would do so without trepidation," mourned Elendir.

"Does he want to kill the queen, Father?"

"I do not know. With the palace alerted, I doubt he will have that chance. Every knight of Ten-Ar and Gurun has been put on full alert. I've even seen reports that knights of Xing-li and archers of Balister are converging on Hejing, offering their skills and support to our queen," elaborated Elendir.

"Father, she doesn't know he's dead."

"For her health and safety as she recovers from childbed, we must keep that knowledge from her – for a few beinors, anyway. This is one royal funeral, my son, she must not attend. A state funeral would be the perfect place for Yelu to strike next. No, Corann, you must keep her from it!"

Two beinors later smoke rose up from the banks of the Amur River near the palace as mind-healers of Xing-li joined the doleful chorus of priestesses and priests from house Miyoo singing prayers of healing for the families of Lord Knight Malvyn and Lord Prince Kian. Flames engulfed the bodies, sending embers high into the air. Two li 里 above them, a small hurricane raged in the upper atmosphere, bringing with it a probability of a thunderstorm close to the ground. The Amur River surged upward over its banks, tidally pulled by the perigee of Biya Xiao-Yue and Biya Eldengge, nipping at the base of the cremation pyre. From inside her apartment, Queen Constance heard the lament through a slightly open window. Tears streamed down her face with understanding: she would never see Kian again.

A knock sounded at her door. Before she could acknowledge it, the door opened, revealing a jet black haired man with the looks of a forty yen-ar old young man, his deep black velvet tunic, trousers, and cloak contrasting against the silver embroidery along its hems, "My lady, is there some service I may do for you?"

Constance stammered at the unexpected and yet somewhat welcome intrusion, "I do not know, my lord."

The young man, Morlong approached cautiously, "You may call me Morlong, Your Majesty, if you wish. It is not my only name, but the one that many seem to favour at the moment."

"Come here!" commanded the queen. Staring at his eyes, Constance felt bewildered. He looked Beinarian but for his eyes. No Beinarian, no matter what the genetic disorder or mutation, had eyes like that, "You are not native to Beinan, are you?"

"I am no more Beinarian than you. Your culture is not native to this world either, but colonized this world not that long ago in the scope of natural history."

"How do you know that?"

"How does any sentient being know anything?" asked Morlong.

"Your people are not my people?"

"No, my queen. They are not. But then, why should it amaze you that someone born elsewhere in the universe should walk among you? Have not your own people explorers as well?"

"Not for a very long time. My husband Kian he –" Constance's voice drifted. Kian was dead. Kian was not coming back. Kian would never research anything again.

"... was an engineer whose life work focused on restoring your culture to the stars again after generations of forgetting how to interact with other beings in the universe," finished Morlong.

"Yes! How do you know?"

"I know many things, Your Majesty. Long have I observed your people, watching in secret, trying to help where I could without interfering. I have worked to conserve life on your world, mostly in that place you call Dong-Nan Fang, but traveling elsewhere from time to time. It is not my people's way to interfere."

"Did your people evolve before mine?"

"Yes, but more than this I may not speak of, Your Majesty – not now. A dangerous predator is nearly finished with his trap. He waits only a few more yen-ars before he springs it; he is patient that way for his current flesh is still quite young. Beware the beinor that is coming. Prepare as best you might. You, Your Majesty, cannot escape that trap and must suffer terrible agonies before the trap can be broken. Yet there is one who may elude the predator – if you prepare the way for her," alluded Morlong.

"My daughter, Anyu. She is only two beinors old!" deduced Constance.

"Yet in her is the hope of your people, a chance to resist without futility when all seems lost and impossible. Use each beinor of remaining freedom wisely, Your Majesty, to secure her escape from this world. If I can, I shall help – not as perhaps you would wish, but help it will be. Look for me when you find me. Speak of my existence to no one. For only unseen can I help you secure your best chance for breaking the trap," implied Morlong.

"I understand, my lord. Yet I fear it is impossible to do as you suggest. No Beinarian has left our planet in generations. We have improved communications, yes, but not our capacity to physically leave our planet. How then can Anyu leave Beinan without a star craft to carry her?"

"When she needs it, it shall be ready," smiled Morlong, disappearing in the shadows like smoke.

Three beinors later, Queen Constance returned to the work of governing her people, resuming court, but mostly working from her private office. Her delivery weakened her, yet in light of the audience with Morlong, a new urgency filled her that trumped her physical pains and weakness. The door chimed. "Come!" answered Constance.

A young lady knight bowed and entered, the Gurun heraldry sparkling on the golden scabbard housing her schlagers sword, "You asked for me, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Lady Knight Aldris. Please have a seat," beckoned the queen.

Nervously Lady Knight Aldris sat down at the queen's conference table, "How may I serve Your Majesty?"

"You have a reputation for discretion, diplomacy, and tact, do you not?"

"Yes; I am not quite as proficient as some of the knights of Gurun with the full range of heritage and modern weapons, but they say I temper my skills better than others with sound judgment...if that is what you are asking of me?" asked Aldris nervously.

"Yours are skills I need most. I need you to teach my son and elder daughter how to protect themselves."

"Against what, Your Majesty?"

"Against a threat to their lives, should it come. Prince Caranden is the most logical target of the terrorists who so far have managed to kill all of my relatives save the one who most deserves to die; they've even killed my consort, Prince Kian. Yes, I know he's dead, even that those closest to me withheld that information in hopes of protecting my health. For this, on some level, they are to be commended." Constance paced nervously, "I and my children are all in danger. Someone clearly wants to end this dynasty – without going through the proper channels with the Great Council.

"Lady Knight Aldris, please! Maybe there is no way to fend off the violence I am certain will come. But maybe there is. Resistance against what feels inevitable cannot be futile. We need a fighting chance. I am asking you to improve our odds of survival so that if we die, it is not helplessly. Yours are the greater skill to teach my children. Will you do so, secretly and without formal praise?"

"O-o-of course, Your Majesty. I am deeply honoured by this duty," accepted Lady Aldris.

"Speak of it to no one – not even my lord knight protector. The fewer who know, the greater our chance at survival. When Princess Anyu is old enough to begin training, I want you to see to it that she can protect herself – with and without weapons," commanded the queen.

"As you will, so mote it be," bowed Aldris.

"One more thing before you go."

"Name it."

"Send for all of my late husband's research from his office at Xing Jishi in Olos-Mir, everything, including the Liltaél. Do not allow my servants to park the Liltaél in the docking port. I have better place for it."

"All shall be done, my queen!"

"Thank you, Lady Aldris."

# Chapter Eleven: Foreboding Dreams

"Merry natal beinor, Anyu!" applauded Queen Constance over the specially arranged slatkos prepared for her natal beinor celebration. Now thirty beinors old, Princess Anyu had grown into a willow-like maiden with auburn blond hair filled with black lowlights that she wore in two long neat braids down her back. Her bliaut was made of blue-lavender konyn wool, finely woven and worn over a pale saffron linen kirtle that complimented the princess well. At her party were gathered mostly old friends: Lady Abbess Althea, Lord Elendir and his wife, Lady Priestess Aisling, Lord Knight Corann, older brother Prince Caranden, older sister Princess Leonora, Lady Knight Aldris, and Lady Healer Darah. Hidden among the guarding knights of Gurun watched Morlong discretely and unnoticed by even the knights standing 2.12 zhang 张 from him.

Princess Anyu looked at her mother for approval before putting a kelan-filled slatko on her plate, and then sat down. Lord Knight Corann sat next to her protectively, "What are you thinking, Anyu?"

"I wish my father were here. I never knew him, you know."

"Yes, I know. I was one of the knights who investigated his death."

"Why did he die, Corann?"

"We don't know exactly. For some reason, the security recordings covering the assembly hall were all erased."

"But who could do that? I thought nothing could erase those recordings."

"It is not impossible, but very difficult. Whoever erased them had a very high security clearance that is for certain."

"Does someone want me dead, Corann?"

Corann's gaze shifted from the princess to his father nervously. Lord Knight Elendir sat down on the other side of the princess, "Why think of death on your natal beinor, Princess Anyu?"

"I do not believe for a moment that a proper princess learns how to handle swords, bows, and plasma rifles. Violence is to be abhorred in a civilized society," proclaimed the princess confidently.

Elendir lowered his voice so that only the princess and his son could hear him, "These are not civilized yen-ars, my lady. You, your brother, and your sister are all the family your mother has left. I do not blame her for feeling cautious."

"I don't want to play with swords or learn how to fight hand-to-hand. I want to study. They say my father was great engineer who knew about the stars and galaxies, about the mysteries that wait out there. I want to go to Olos-Mir and see the stars for myself – without computerized graphics simulating what the sky looks like above the upper atmosphere. I want to see stars with my own eyes!"

"There may come a beinor, Your Highness, when all you see are stars in a black sky, when you yearn to see the upper clouds and storms raging above you and miss the feel of the rain on your face," remarked Corann.

"Is there life out there? Are there people like us somewhere else in the universe?"

"We think so. But it has been generations since anyone ventured out there to find out," commented Elendir.

"I want to leave Beinan! I want to go out there and talk to those who are different than us but the same. I want to know everything about physics and astronomy and how things work. What good is my life if I am in a cage?" cried the princess, tears falling from her face.

Her brother, Prince Caranden noticed the tears and came up to her, sweeping her into a protective embrace, "What's wrong, Anyu?" Anyu wept harder. "Hey – hey – it's okay. The world is not coming to an end."

"Yes, it is! I'll never get to leave Beinan. I'll be stuck here forever, tending to duties that make no sense and never allowed to study science!" wept Anyu.

"Maybe your presents will cheer you? I heard from mother you have some good ones," suggested Prince Caranden. "Come; let's open one of your gifts."

"Before the dancing?" asked Anyu, puzzled.

"You will dance better when you feel merry again," reminded Caranden, waving at their sister Leonora to come over to them, "Come, Leonora, let's go find Anyu the best natal beinor gift on the table."

Leonora, now thirty-eight yen-ars old with a face remarkably similar to her father's, met Queen Constance's gaze. With a nod from the queen, Leonora located a shallow blue-silver wrapped box eight cun 寸 wide and six cun 寸 long. Picking it up, she handed it to Anyu, "This one looks promising Anyu. Open this one first."

Smiling for the first time since her friends and family sang to her, Anyu carefully unwrapped the gift, making great pains to not tear the paper. Inside was what appeared to be a jewellery box. Opening it slowly, Anyu could not believe her eyes. There, in front of her, was a necklace, its pendant 1.73 cun 寸 wide in the shape of the Xing-li heraldry. The large blue faceted gem appeared to be a fine Beinarian sapphire of unusually large size, cut, and clarity emulating a twinkling star. Around the edges of the sapphire, Beinarian silver bezeled the "sapphire" in place, circled by Beinarian diamonds each diamond 1.75 carats as measured by Earth humans. Around this pendant circled an intricate necklace 1.2 cun 寸 wide made of what appeared to be Beinarian sapphires, diamonds, and rubies. Just above the pendant and midway down on the left and right sides the gems formed the pattern of the house Gurun heraldry. It was truly a gift fit for a queen – or a future queen. Anyu gasped at the gift, unable to stop studying its mosaic of gems. Queen Constance came up to her with a smile, lifting up the necklace and opening it up. Anyu turned her back to her mother to make it easier for her to fasten it around her neck. Once the queen finished, she turned Anyu around and kissed her forehead affectionately, "Now you look like a queen!"

"You asked to see me, Your Majesty?" asked Anyu, peering her head into her mother's office.

Seated next to the queen was keen-eyed, astute-looking woman two hundred fifteen yen-ars old, a bracelet shaped in the heraldry of Xing-li on her wrist. Queen Constance smiled as she watched Anyu study the woman beside her, "Anyu, may I introduce you to my cousin once removed, Lady Engineer Silmira. Her mother was one of Lord Prince Torr's younger sisters."

"Making you my cousin twice removed," remarked Anyu.

Lady Silmira smiled with her eyes at the young princess, "Correct. Very good, Princess Anyu."

Anyu bowed politely, "Pleased to make your acquaintance. Is there is purpose behind this meeting?"

Lady Silmira cocked her head gently, "I am to be your new tutor, Princess Anyu. Together we shall explore physics, astronomy, and astro-engineering. I will demand much from you and not tolerate laziness on your part when it comes to accuracy, of course."

"O-of course. Why would you? Science requires precision, especially when applied to something like designing a critical piece of equipment for star craft or for survival on alien worlds whose atmospheres and chemistries are likely to be very different from ours."

Queen Constance looked at Anyu thoughtfully, "What do you think, Cousin?"

"I think she will do just fine, better than either of her siblings if I am any judge of aptitude or interest. She wants to learn, to walk in her father's footsteps more than in yours," assessed Silmira.

"Time will tell on that one," augured Constance.

"When can we start, Lady Silmira?" queried the princess.

"Next beinor, shir-or 8.25 in your office," replied Silmira.

"Thank you! Thank you, Mother. This is everything I ever hoped for!" pranced Anyu.

"Study hard, Anyu. I expect to hear all about your lessons at dinner next beinor."

Princess Anyu studied hard indeed, harder than any thirty yen-ar old adolescent in house Gurun. Four shir-ors per day she pursued science and engineering studies, demonstrating Lord Engineer Kian's talent for applied physics. Four shir-ors per day she trained her body, often sparring with her siblings in three-person practice duels intended to hone their ability to handle multiple opponents at once. When the weather was fair, the royal siblings target practiced with heritage bows, throwing axes and knives, laser bows and crossbows, and with plasma rifles. Every tenth beinor, the princesses and princes were excused from these rigors in favour of learning finer, more courtly skills like music, dancing, and etiquette. The ever studious Anyu found dancing to be particularly relaxing, an applied form of mathematics that was graceful and precise and better suited to her increasing appreciation for gowns and dresses that were part of her maturity into a woman.

One in every thirty beinors, the royal family was allowed to pursue their own interests and leisure restfully. As Anyu's appreciation for art, dancing, and fashion, she found herself sitting with the royal embroiderers and learning how to make and embellish her own gowns to suit her personal, exploring taste.

In all these studies, the worries she held before melted out of her mind – except on her thirty-first, then thirty-second natal beinors when her heart darkened once more with foreboding. Something terrible was coming, she sensed. But what? She was no priestess of Miyoo, despite her descent from High Priestess Wehe and High Priestess Anlei. So why these strange dreams of foreboding danger? At night, dreams of terror filtered through her mind. She heard voices in the seemingly random images, voices paired with faces she had never seen, whispers from an unknown time and place. In every dream, she saw the face of a man which seemed like two faces merged – one from a past she could not recall and another – was he still alive? Where had she seen that face?

At shir-or 1.6 on beinor 160, Princess Anyu woke abruptly, screaming but with her voice unheard except to her. Panting, she looked around. There was no one there. Rising from her curtained bed, she picked up her robe and drew it through first one arm, then the next modestly. In her head, a torrent of sounds thundered, sounds not perceptible by her ears. Startled and frightened, she pulled out the schlager sword she kept under her bed and drew it out of the scabbard, her eyes searching first her bedroom, then the rest of her apartment for intruders. A shadow moved. Anyu cut at it with her sword. In her private garden, a bird flew up higher into a nara tree. Anyu opened the French doors into the garden and stepped onto the carefully laid stone path in front of her. A konyn jumped in front of her innocently, its long erect ears twitching innocently as it hopped along, swishing its squirrel-like tail. Anyu exhaled; concerned she frightened the innocent animal. Were these sounds just her imagination?

Still disoriented and frightened, Princess Anyu wandered outside of her apartments and down corridors she did not know existed before, losing all track of time. At length she found herself in front of a door which opened from her approach, programmed by some unknown force or person to do so when she neared it. The voices in her mind grew stronger. Finally, her eyes gazed upon a star craft, something she had never seen before. Despite her confusion, her natural scientific curiosity guided her closer. Her hand touched upon the edge of its hatch. The hatch opened unexpectedly, lowering the entry ramp. Uncertain why, Princess Anyu put first one foot, then the other onto the ramp and stepped up, navigating the incline as if she intended to do so. She stuck her head into the craft. The computer responded, "Welcome to the Liltaél, Princess Anyu!"

Anyu's heartbeat quickened her sword still in her hand, "W-wh-who are you?"

"I am the star craft Liltaél, designed and built by Lord Engineer Kian of house Xing-li," asked the artificial intelligence inside the craft, its voice in emulation of Lord Kian.

"Prince Kian, my father?" stammered Anyu.

"Confirmed!" replied the computer.

Just then a head stuck out from the aft section. Lord Morlong gazed at the princess with half amusement and half irritation, "You should not be here, Princess – not yet. It is not time."

"Who are you?" she asked, still bewildered and confused from the ceaseless voices in her mind.

"No one important, my lady; just a humble servant of your mother's. You were not intended to discover the Liltaél. It is a secret deeper than you can possibly imagine, even with your aptitude for science, my lady. You must forget you came here," instructed Morlong.

"I-I-I don't understand."

"You will – when it is time."

"I – hear sounds! They drew me to this place," confessed Anyu.

"You are the legacy of your foremothers and your forefathers. Great is your heritage, Princess Anyu, yet across many generations, you are the first to begin to actualize it. Long ago, your forefather, King Ejen, married one of the greatest of all Beinarian high priestesses. Through her granddaughter, High Priestess Anlei did the fullness of her power pass – but to none of your forefathers or foremothers since. Until now, this night. This shir-or came your inheritance," explained Morlong.

"What inheritance? What are you talking about?"

"The voices you hear. This is not insanity, Your Highness. It is a gift, the gift to know the minds and hearts of others, to feel what they feel and know what they know. Trained are you now in how to protect yourself, and with good cause which you shall discover in time. In the morning, you must begin different training while practicing those skills of sword, bow, and laser rifle on your own. You must learn to control your gift or be controlled by others through it. For reasons you will in time understand, you must not allow this. Now go, Your Highness, and forget we ever spoke. The time is not yet!" explained Morlong secretly. With a wave of his hand, the doors opened once more. Anyu stumbled out of the secret room. Morlong closed the doors tightly with another wave of his hand.

"How did you sleep, Your Highness?" asked RM7 as Anyu stumbled into the royal family dining room.

"Not well, RM7," yawned Anyu, trying to sit down next to her sister Leonora.

Leonora looked at her with concern, "You look unwell, sister."

Princess Anyu reached for a nara berry slatko near her and took a bite, its flavour like a subtle blend of cherry and almond, "I will be fine – but with Your Majesty's permission – is there a mind healer or a priestess I may talk to? I had odd dreams during the night."

"What sort of dreams, Anyu?" asked Queen Constance, concerned.

"With respect, I prefer not to say, if that is acceptable. I do not wish to embarrass myself or you, Your Majesty, nor permit any word or deed on my part reflect ill on Your Majesty's grace," answered Anyu formally.

"Very well then. Would a retreat in Bira Hecen at the Temple of Abka Biya suit you?"

"Yes, Your Majesty – if it is not too much trouble?" hinted Anyu.

"None at all if you do not mind your brother and sister accompanying you," replied Constance.

Anyu bowed her head, "As Your Majesty wishes, so shall it be achieved."

The ancient castle and temple of Abka Biya wound itself unexpectedly through the great cliffs overlooking the Amba Mederi Ocean as if crafted by the goddesses themselves. With facades both overlooking the tide before on one side and stretching into the prosperous city on the other, it was a wonder of Beinarian engineering, a hallmark of the same technology that allowed them to cross the vast expanse of space during the Great Migration, a technology whose secrets were now lost by neglect and complacency.

Fully half of the massive temple was carved directly from the protective promontory dividing ocean from the Dong-Bei continent, a massive feat that took thirty yen-ars to complete even with the advanced equipment Beinarians salvaged from their original home world, the work done carefully, artistically, designed to endure for tens of thousands of yen-ars with minimal structural maintenance. The oldest parts of Bira Hecen retained this careful architecture and construction, despite some critics who claimed that such ancient buildings should be torn down and replaced with modern designs. Yet never did a critic or politician assault this temple, this wonder of engineering. It was a functional beauty rooted in antiquity that few could help but marvel at, a castle, a testament to what Beinarians were capable of when they put aside their petty quarrels and worked together creatively.

Facing the Amba Mederi Ocean, one spire rose up organically (the other spires on the bluff face were designed with a more castle-like, round tower exterior) from the pointed ridges of the promontory. This spire housed the temple's observatory, its roof transparent to let in and focus light onto a concave reflector in the middle of the room upon which the images of stars, planets, the moons, and the greater universe danced with ethereal beauty. A small control on the pedestal supporting the reflector enabled an astronomer or priestess to reflect the image onto another surface such as the far wall if desired. This reflector served partially as an astronomical observatory, but even more so as an altar, a chance for resident priestesses and priests to glimpse most concretely into the heart of the great mysteries.

Lady Laela studied the projected image. As the primary steward of the castle's observatory, hers was the task of maintaining this reflector and all that surrounded it. This was her sanctuary, her refuge from the rest of Beinan, her glimpse back through time and space.

As shir-or 4.0 brought the dawn, Lady Laela knelt at the altar, watching a sliver of bright white light break through the clouds and onto the mirrored surface, her metallic blue eyes briefly flashing unexpectedly from the new-born light underneath the hood of her black thread embroidered silver cloak. Lady Laela sighed. How much longer would she be needed here?

A student priestess emerged from the doorway, kneeling reverentially in the direction of the reflector, "My lady Laela, Lady Abbess Althea has arrived as expected – along with three unexpected guests requesting retreat here at the temple."

"Who?" queried Laela formally.

"Her majesty's children – all three of them!" exclaimed the student priestess, her pale green kirtle glowing with the dawn's first light.

Lady Laela rose from her meditation, "I will come, though I doubt any think my presence is required."

"Your Grace! Your Highnesses, what an unexpected pleasure to see you all arrive this beinor," acknowledged Lady Priestess Aisling from the foyer just inside the main castle entrance on the Bira Hecen side of the temple. "As you know, High Priestess Aina is on her regular progress throughout the planet, visiting temples and sanctuaries on every continent. We are not expecting her for another one hundred beinors – if that is the reason for this unusual convergence?"

Lady Abbess Althea smiled at her sister-in-law, "Not at all! Her grace is great in wisdom and power – but she is not the only priestess of Miyoo work speaking with. As for their highnesses arrival the xiao-shir I arrive, I am certain that is a coincidence."

Prince Caranden looked at Aisling and Althea formally, like the heir-apparent he was, "Our visit was not scheduled. Ergo, this is a coincidence. My siblings and I request retreat from court and palace life. We so rarely get to explore on our own; understandably her majesty cares greatly for our welfare and safety, especially in light of the circumstances surrounding our father's death."

"No one has forgotten Lord Prince Kian, Your Highness, nor of the nobility of his death. After all these yen-ars, his loss is still felt," reciprocated Lady Priestess Aisling. "You are, of course, welcome here to stay as long as each of you should wish."

Princess Leonora curtsied respectfully, "Thank you, Lady Priestess Aisling."

Aisling motioned to one of the student priestesses waiting nearby. The student came up to Aisling with a bow. "Please take their highnesses to guest chambers. Do not announce their arrival to others in the castle. If any should note their presence while they are here, so be it, but do not call attention to it either," instructed Aisling.

"Yes, milady," acknowledged the student priestess. Taking a few steps towards the door that divided the foyer from the rest of the castle, she motioned, "Please follow me."

Princess Anyu gazed outside of the window in the guest room provided for her on the built in bench emerging from the wall designed for that purpose. Beneath her the tide crashed against the steep cliff face below with lavender foam, sending sprays of ocean water high up into the air, sometimes misting into Anyu's open window. Further out, the ocean roared, interrupted only slightly by the island of Ben-Ar, a small spec of land with the unaided eye when viewed from these castle windows. Here, among the crash waves and surf, she could finally feel some peace. Alone, she felt the pain inside her head ebb with a measure of relief. Was this the cure for the crushing torrent that tormented her in her sleep and now whenever she was in the presence of others?

A knock sounded at the door. Somewhat surprised, Anyu called, "Come in!"

Lady Laela emerged, the hood of her cloak concealing her face, "How do you like the view, Your Highness?"

"It is soothing, far more so than anywhere in the palace – even my own garden. Perhaps it is the roar of the Amba Mederi?"

"What troubles bring you here for sanctuary, my lady?"

Princess Anyu looked down. Why would a stranger wish to know? "Dreams," she remarked vaguely.

"Dreams can be powerful, especially for a descendent of High Priestess Wehe. May I ask you, how old are you?"

"Thirty-two yen-ars. Why do you ask?"

"Every sentient being is different, of course, but among house Miyoo, which is certainly part of your heritage, the nature of dreams often change between the ages of thirty and thirty-five. This is the time when the body and mind are mature enough to handle the burdens that are the great gifts of house Miyoo; all Beinarians possess these same gifts, of course, but persistently to a lesser degree and with less control than house Miyoo."

"What are you talking about my lady?"

"You may call me Lady Laela. I am steward of this castle temple's observatory," explained Laela.

"You veil your face beneath your cloak – why?

"I spend much of my time in solitude, watching the stars. This cloak makes it easier for me, protecting me from eyes that would find me – odd."

"I do not understand."

"You will – when you are ready." Lady Laela turned, her cloak sweeping into an elegant circle as she twirled contemplatively, "Many are the gifts of house Miyoo, especially of the line of Anlei, daughter of Queen Isabelle. Few in her line have the presence of mind and heart to recognize those gifts. Awakened recently yours have."

"W-wh-what gifts? I still do not understand."

"Your dreams, the voices you hear that seem unconnected to reality. These are the beginning for you. Before, your mind lived in darkness. Now you are illuminated by the ability to see into the hearts of others, to know what they feel and intend. All sentient beings have some of this instinct, but rarely for most does it become conscious – as it now has for you. Now, instead of washing others' minds into your unconscious mind, you hear them, feel them, perceive them as if their thoughts and feelings were spoken aloud. This feels overwhelming and frightening, Your Highness, at least at first, like when a deaf person first receives help hearing; the new sounds and sensations feel as if they will drown you. At thirty-two, your mind can handle it; it is far more difficult for those who are born with the sounds of others' minds already in their heads; I should know," confessed Laela.

"You were born hearing minds?"

The fabric of Laela's cloak shifted as she nodded affirmatively, "Yes; can it be no wonder I often seek solitude? There are other people I know who were also born this way. They too tend to shun the company of people, at least partially. It is a hard thing to be in a social setting when the words of those around you contradict their inner voices. Deceit is a hard thing on an empath."

"In my dreams I keep seeing two faces that seem like two people but not too people. Help me understand, please. In every dream I've had since my natal beinor I have seem those two faces; they frighten me."

"As they should. May I look deeper? Perhaps I can help you solve your riddle."

"O-of course!"

Lady Laela sat down beside her on the comfortable window bench. Removing her elbow-length gloves, pale white skin that appeared almost silver in the light emerged from beneath the cloak. Laela raised her delicate fingers to the princess's forehead and crown carefully as if afraid to wound her with her feather touch. Calming her mind, Laela lowered some of her inner shields. The images from Anyu's dreams flashed through her mind. Nodding, a hidden look of comprehension filled Laela's face, "You see the past, present, and future all at once. One soul in three different times, a soul of darkness, malice, and hate. Your mother the queen, in another life, was the object of hatred for this soul."

"Who was my mother in that life and who am I seeing?"

"I do not know the name he bears right now, but long ago he bore the name of Janus, son of Cariadoc."

"Why does that name feel familiar to me?" puzzled Anyu.

"Because, my lady, you knew him by that name."

"I knew this Janus?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"When you are ready to know, you will. Trust your instincts and listen to yourself. When you are quiet in your mind and heart, able to sit and think without the distractions of everything and everyone around you, then you shall find the answers you seek – and the control you need. All the answers you feel you need to be taught are already there, deep inside you. When you are calm, quiet, and truly ready, you will find them," instructed Laela, rising and restoring her gloves to her hands and arms in preparation for departure.

"Did you, Lady Laela?"

Laela smiled at the young woman's insight, "Yes, when I was much older than you are now." Laela glided out of the room, leaving the princess to think.

"Good morning, Lady Knight Aldris," greeted Princess Anyu as she entered the palace practice chamber, her schlager sword resting comfortably in its scabbard belted at her waist. Perhaps inspired by her talk with Lady Laela, Princess Anyu wore a black kirtle with silver embroidery along the neckline, sleeve hems, and skirt hem. Outlines of Xing-lian heraldic stars twinkled in silver thread in a pleasing distribution across the skirt with a larger such embroidered star sparkling just under the curves of her breast. A V-shaped runching framed the star, giving drama and elegance to her gown.

Lady Aldris bowed politely, "Good morning, Your Highness. Care for some practice – or are you done with such things?"

"I am the granddaughter of one of the finest swordsmen in all of Beinan; why shouldn't we spar a bit this morning? I just wish grandfather could see."

"He would be proud of you, I think, Your Highness. I knew him a little while he was king. He was ever diligent in maintaining his skills and was never above practicing with squires of Gurun – female or male."

"That is good to know, Lady Aldris. Thank you," saluted Anyu with her schlager as she walked to the centre of the practice chamber.

Lady Knight Aldris drew her own sword and joined her, saluting in return. Without a word, Aldris and Anyu circled. Aldris lunged. Anyu parried-riposted casually. Aldris disengaged in a feint, and then lunged her attack. Anyu deflected the blow easily. The pace quickened between their exchanges of attacks, parries, and parry-riposts. Quicker and quicker, their pace accelerated, a look of glee flashing in Anyu's eyes as she held her own against her mentor's skilled schlager attacks. A dance developed mirroring a real duel more than the practice sessions both were accustomed to as the duel spread across the practice chamber, then spilled out onto the empty nearby firing range. For a full shir-or they battled playfully, their skirts concealing their movements and flowing gracefully through each exchange. Finally Anyu gained the upper hand, scoring a touch past Aldris' well-guarded defences – right to her heart, a lethal blow had it not been done out of play and following practice protocols.

Lady Knight Aldris bowed, "Well done! You have your grandfather's skill at last. Now you are ready to take on the dangers that follow your family."

"Was that the point of all this training over these yen-ars? To prepare me for a beinor when my life might hang in the balance?" asked Anyu with bewilderment.

"Yes, Your Highness. Your father perished the same beinor of your birth. Across your entire life her majesty the queen has desired you avoid his fate. Now I may report to her that you are truly ready. You have exceeded your mistress with a blade. You are ready to take on the real world," affirmed Lady Knight Aldris.

"You asked to see me, Lady Silmira?" inquired Princess Anyu as she entered her tutor's office in a professional building 0.23 li 里 from the palace, its décor modest compared to the opulence of the palace, yet fitfully so with a timeless elegance the princess appreciated.

Lady Silmira smiled at the princess, "Yes! Please, have seat." Princess Anyu sat down at the seat across from her tutor's desk. Silmira continued, "I wanted to give you the results of your final examination from three beinors ago. I have graded your work and checked your experiments."

Princess Anyu looked at her tutor nervously, "And..."

"Your father could not have done better himself. If you should wish, house Xing-li is prepared to offer you your father's former job upon ascent of your brother to the throne. We hope that shall be for many yen-ars. If you should desire to begin this work earlier, I am willing to speak to her majesty on your behalf and request placement for you among the engineers of Xing-li."

"May I continue my father's research? I wish very much to travel outside of Beinan, to see the stars with my own eyes from beyond our atmosphere. Surely even the equipment at Xing Jishi cannot match the view from even just beyond our solar system," begged Anyu.

"Right before his death, your father was banned from working on interstellar exploration projects, yet I do see your passion for this. You are your father's daughter, certainly. Perhaps a compromise: you may research what you like as long as you do so from research facilities at the palace itself, away from the critical eyes of Lord Engineer Ian. I do not mind your passion; if anything, I consider it promising. More women and men your age should find a passion from within science and engineering. Lord Ian has his motives, I am certain. He is the leader of our house. But I do think he is right in this. We are stronger as a society when our best and brightest are encouraged to advance our skills, our knowledge, the threshold of what is possible. Science must not be about politics, Your Highness, nor should it ever be about religion. It is the pursuit of understanding and a humble appreciation for the beauty that is our universe," admonished Silmira.

"Unless the Great Council should amend the old law that prevents daughters from being queens after their mother, I see no reason not to pursue my passion with you and the rest of house Xing-li. As the law stands, I cannot become queen. Therefore should I not pursue the profession of my own choosing?" queried Anyu.

"Yes, Princess Engineer Anyu," grinned Silmira, rising to embrace her protégé. "Welcome to the best engineers on Beinan!"

"Surprise!" yelled Queen Constance, Prince Caranden, Princess Leonora, Lord Knight Elendir, Lady Priestess Aisling, Lord Knight Corann, and twenty other invited guests.

Princess Anyu glowed with delight at the unexpected party for her thirty-fourth natal beinor. Held in the formal state ballroom , a space much too large for such a small gathering, the space was divided with Beinarian mathematical precision between buffet tables filled with Anyu's favourite foods and desserts, beverage tables, social spaces, and the ballroom floor where twelve musicians readied themselves for the coming dancing. Watching from the edge of the gathering unnoticed paced Lady Laela and Lord Morlong, their hooded cloaks making them almost completely invisible, despite the bright lights around them. The sun was setting; Biya Gaelach rose above the horizon in waxing gibbous phase, big, bright and beautiful, despite being at apogee. It was going to be a pretty night.

Princess Leonora hugged her glowing sister, "Meet natal beinor, Anyu."

Anyu relished in her sister's embrace. An image flashed in Anyu's mind at the touch – pain... terror... someone doing something terrible to her. The face of her sister's assailant hovered across Anyu's open eyes and open mind, the same face she saw countless times in her dreams. What did Lady Laela say about that? This face was of the face in this life of the soul she knew long ago as the other face? What was the name of that other life? Janus, perhaps? Yes – but what did Janus have to do with her sister?

Leonora looked at her sister with concern, "What is it?"

"I don't know how to explain. Just a feeling."

"Well, whatever it is, it will wait, at least until after dessert and dancing," reassured Leonora.

"Yes, of course you are right. I should enjoy my own party," Anyu picked up a nara berry slatko and a glass of nara mead, took a deep breath, and focused on her food. As the party continued, she opened her gifts, including a small box she found rather curious. Inside was what appeared to be a pendant made up of five Beinarian sapphires in the shape of a Xing-li star – not too unlike in appearance to the pendant that terminated the grand necklace given to her on her thirtieth natal beinor. Flipping the pendant over, Anyu noticed something unusual about the back of this pendant. Playing with it for a xiao-shir, she observed that the back plate was not a simple back plate, but consisted of the main back plate and a largely hidden second back plate. Experimenting like the engineer she was now, she found the two plates seemed magnetically attracted to one another. Curious, she tried putting on the pendant as a broach on her turquoise blue bliaut. The "pendant" held securely to her gown, its bail blending in with the bezel so that it did not look like a bail at all once secured. She smiled at the gift. This was lovely. This was something to cherish.

0.678 shir-ors passed. With dinner finished, Prince Caranden bowed to Anyu, "May I have this dance, Lady Engineer Anyu?"

"Of course, my lord," bowed Anyu, smiling at the reference and taking her brother's arm and walking to the front of the columns of lords and ladies gathering to dance a Beinarian pavane.

Lord Knight Corann bowed to Queen Constance, "Your Majesty, may I have the pleasure?"

"You may," echoed the queen.

As she took his arm to walk with him Corann whispered into her ear, "When may I return to your majesty's bed again? It is has been one hundred ten beinors since you last sent for me. Is there another who has supplanted me?"

"No, why would you think that?"

"Then why am I banished from you?"

"You are not banished!"

"But I am presently neither your husband nor your lover. What have I done to displease you?" entreated Corann.

Queen Constance stopped, "I... it's not you."

"Why are we not married, Your Majesty? With all respect, your husband perished thirty-four yen-ars ago. The time for grief is over; your own parents did not wait even one hundred beinors before they wed following Princess Lidmila's murder-suicide! Do you love me less than your own parents loved each other?"

A tear fell from the queen's eyes at the admonishment, "I love you. Please believe, sweetheart, that my actions come not from a lack of love; rather it is exactly because I love you more than life that I must not –"

Corann met her eyes, "What do you know?"

Constance gasped, foresight filling her mind with terror, "Too much!" Not wanting to distress her further, Corann kissed her tenderly, and then led her to the columns to dance right next to Corann's parents who seemed oblivious to the contents of Corann and Constance's conversation. That night, after two full shir-ors of dancing and merriment, Constance called Corann to her bed, letting herself enjoy his love and tenderness – yet speaking nothing of what she knew would come only soon enough.

The next morning, Princess Anyu sat down in her lab, haphazardly placing her resplendent necklace from her thirtieth beinor on her desk next to some scanning and magnification equipment. Her Majesty expected her at court in a shir-or, but she wanted to get some work done first. The scanner beeped unexpectedly. Anyu turned and looked at the readout, her grey eyes widening, "What? What the heck is going on?" Anyu keyed a sequence into her computer, running a detailed analysis. More data flowed, elaborating on the preliminary scan taken accidentally. Disbelief filled Anyu's face. Half angrily, Anyu prepared to storm out and confront her mother before the start of court.

Just as she opened the door between her lab and the corridor beyond, she found Morlong blocking her way, "You must not do that, Lady Engineer Anyu. If you do, you will undo thirty-four yen-ars of careful preparation by countless individuals."

"What are you talking about?" barked Anyu.

Morlong motioned at the necklace in Anyu's hand, "Do you think that was an accident? Do you not recognize the careful planning needed by countless servants of your mother to design it and give that to you when the beinor grew late? You hold in your hands your own salvation, one masked carefully for your own safety. You were meant to discover its function in time. But if you confront and expose its purpose to others, things that are not yet meant to be shall be unleashed before the rest of us are ready."

"What are you talking about?"

"The fall of the Gurun dynasty Your Highness. Or have you not noticed the careful work done to obscure your identity as the queen's daughter? Many now call you 'lady engineer' and not 'princess.' This is by design, not just to foster the skills you need to survive out there, but to facilitate your escape. For any child of the queen is a natural target for those who would usurp the throne. As princess, your life is forfeit. But an engineer of house Xing-li is no one worth killing – at least not explicitly," alluded Morlong.

"Is my life in danger?"

"Only as a princess of Beinan; as a simple scientist in service to her majesty? No."

"You know how and why my father died, don't you?"

"I know how and why the prince consort died, yes," circumvented Morlong. "He _confronted_ the enemy of your house openly and for that perished before, I think, this enemy originally designed it. Walk not in Prince Kian's footsteps in this, Your Highness. Your life is precious. Please, do not throw it recklessly into your enemy's blade."

The second image from Anyu's dreamed flashed into her mind. Was that one the enemy Morlong alluded to?

Another, deeper feeling sank into Anyu's heart. In her mind she felt a flood of images. Of Our Lady Healing Centre in Bira Hecen looking very different than the current structure. Of two young children, one a tiny infant girl. A song played in her head. Without realizing it, Anyu sang a bit of it aloud, not knowing where it came from and having never heard the tune before, "Love for the beauty of the soul. I shall love you always. When the flower of life has gone, ever I shall find you...."

Morlong smiled, "Hello, Princess Anlei. Or shall I call you Lady Healer Keelia or perhaps Lady Mind-Healer Fëawen?"

"Those were all my names, weren't they? I am the reincarnation of all of them."

"Yes, Your Highness. The faces you see in your dreams are of Janus, your assailant long ago – and his current incarnation, a man named Lord Yelu, also called Yelu the Bastard, he who murdered Lord Engineer Kian of house Xing-li."

Princess Anyu gasped, trembling, and sliding to the floor. Tears filled her eyes, terror in her heart, "Janus means to take his revenge!"

"Yes, soon he will strike his coup d'état. You must not be here when he does, Your Highness. He wants you more than any other. If he should perceive who you are now while you are within his grasp, there will be no end to his reign of terror, to his 'great revolution,'" warned Morlong.

"Does my mother know?"

"Yes; I warned her long ago, mere shir-ors after your birth, actually."

"How have you known?"

"That, Your Highness, I must keep for myself. I am only supposed to observe, not interfere. Already I have done too much, but I feel mercy towards you and your house. It is hard to watch so much death and pain; the benevolent impulse is to try to help in some way. So I have, though I will pay for it in time. That time is not yet. More pressing is the preservation of your life – and through you, hope."

Anyu rose to her feet, mindful of the time, "I must go; I am called to court."

"I will see you again, perhaps one last time, before the end. Look for me when you least expect to find me."

"Her Most Royal of Majesties, Constance, Queen of Beinan summons to her court Lady Engineer Anyu!" cried the herald. Queen Constance sat on her throne adorned in a crimson bliaut worn over a kirtle of silver-grey. Though she did not always choose to wear her royal coronet, this shir-or she chose to remind those gathered in court that she was still queen of Beinan by wearing it proudly.

As the herald's words echoed through the cavernous throne room, Princess Anyu respectfully approached the royal throne, kneeling at feet of the queen upon her raised dais as if she were just another member of house Xing-li and not the daughter of a reigning queen, "I hear your call and I obey, Your Majesty. What service may I do for you?"

"For one yen-ar and eighteen beinors you have served me as the resident engineer of Xing-li, researching and innovating according to my commands," declared Queen Constance.

Anyu lowered her head and her eyes humbly, "I live to serve Your Majesty. As you ask of me, so shall I accomplish, though it take me all the yen-ars of my life."

"This is well done of you, Lady Engineer Anyu. Now I have a command for you."

"Name it, My Liege!"

"I wish for you to test the star craft designed by my late husband, Lord Engineer Kian. For the next three yen-ars you must leave my presence, risking your life as you explore that which is beyond this world."

Anyu trembled and almost fainted. For most of her life she begged and wailed, complained almost ceaselessly that she had never left the boundaries of the Beinarian atmosphere, never ventured even to the edge of their solar system. Now her own mother was commanding her leave Beinan? But why? Was this some plan of hers? An excuse for her to leave planet as an explorer, and not as a refugee? Out of breath, Anyu tried to raise her voice, "As you command, so shall it be. Willingly shall I lay down my life to see that which is beyond Beinan in the interests of science and understanding. Should I return, I beg Your Majesty receive me well and with kindness."

Queen Constance rose, stepping down from her throne. Anyu trembled before her, grovelling. Constance physically raised Anyu to her feet and kissed her forehead, embracing her like the mother she was, a mother sending her daughter away, not knowing if she would ever see her again. In the shadows, a courtier moved, noting the apparent affection displayed by the queen.

With a long practiced control and resolve, Queen Constance the Kind held back her tears, looking into the eyes of her daughter. Anyu knew her mother enough to know just how difficult it was right now to not publically weep. Finally, Queen Constance acknowledged her youngest daughter with her eyes, "Should you return, Lady Engineer, I know you will see a different Beinan than when you left it. Yours is the heart of a scientist, bred and cultivated in you by tens of thousands of yen-ars of achievements by your Xing-lian ancestors. Draw upon that heritage in your journey. It may be that which decides whether you are able to return – or whether you perish, unknown for who you are by beings who are not like us.

"Go with my love, and the love of all of Beinan. If the goddesses mean it to be, we shall perhaps see each other again," proclaimed the queen. "Success to you!"

"Success!" echoed the court with applause.

Noticing the sudden attention on her, Anyu bowed to her mother the queen for the last time in the Beinarian Era. With the humility of her presumed identity as a humble lady engineer, Anyu disappeared into the throngs around her, staying longer than she knew her mother wished.

As the crowds resume their normal hubbub, the hidden courtier emerged from the shadows, drawing Anyu's eyes. Who was that man? Why did he seem to look a bit like the queen? Was he house Gurun? The figure drew closer to the queen, close enough that two of her knights emerged from their hidden places to take a defensive position close to her. The man ignored them, standing now where Anyu had kneeled and making eye contact with Queen Constance confidently, "You speak well, Cousin."

Queen Constance eyed the figure critically, "Cousin? By house Xing-li, Gurun, or Cashmarie?

"Gurun, Your Majesty. I am Lixin, son of Princess Cathryn and her lover, Nasse, son of Lady Elita and Lord Eletar of house Shem. You _do_ know who they are, do you not? My grandfather Eletar rules the Great Council, you know!"

Constance eyed her cousin, "We are a democracy, Cousin, this monarchy rules simply as executors of the laws passed by the Great Council where all noble houses are equal."

"Yes – all houses except Skeinera, Plover, and Croften who of course remain part of the underclass of our grand society. No, we cannot bother to treat them as equals, now can we? We can ennoble a prostitute from house Ana even give her a seat on the Great Council – but not a weaver nor a farmer nor those who choose to spin by hand rather than letting machines do everything," mocked Lixin.

"Why are you doing this, Lixin? You make a spectacle of us both – why? What is your agenda?"

"To prepare the way!" shouted Lixin dramatically.

"For whom?" challenged Queen Constance coolly.

"For me!" strutted Lord Yelu unexpectedly to Constance's throne with a grandstanding air. Hidden in the crowds Anyu gasped at the sight. In Lord Yelu she saw the face that tormented her for four yen-ars. Was this man the reincarnation of Janus, her old adversary? Anyu's mind raced. Not knowing what to do, Anyu disappeared out of the throne room and headed for her lab even as Lord Yelu continued his dramatic entrance, "It is so good to see you again, Constance! I see the death of your precious father at my hands has suited you well!"

Constance glared at Yelu, "So you publically admit to his murder?"

"Why not? I killed your precious Lord Kian. I killed your grandmother Queen Darla, your mother Lady Aurnia, even your aunt Cathryn, though I must confess that was her idea to avoid _suspicion_ while getting rid of her hated rivals. Cathryn of course was my half-brother's whore! As I suspect you were Lord Kian's whore before I mercifully removed him from your life," taunted Yelu.

"I am queen of Beinan; you do not speak this way to me!" swore Constance angrily.

"You were the queen of Beinan, whore! The Great Council decides for how long. Luckily I have a measure of _pull_ with them," slithered Yelu suggestively.

"You dare threaten me?"

"Dare? Dare? Threats are the least I will do, the least I have _done_ , to you and all those who claim to follow you! Peers of Beinan, here me now! I am your ruler. I am in power. Resist me and die. Join me, and live," proclaimed Lord Yelu. Turning his eyes upon Queen Constance once more he added, "I have just begun with you, Lady Constance of house Gurun. Oh yes, this is but merely the opening salute to our dance!" Queen Constance glared at him. Yelu laughed mockingly, and then slowly, confidently, strode out of the throne room.

# Chapter Twelve: Janus' Long Awaited Coup

"Leonora! Leonora! He's here: the reincarnation of Janus, the one we've been worried about. He killed father. He killed grandfather! He's – he's behind everything!" stammered Anyu as she interrupted her sister's studies in her apartment.

Leonora looked at her with bewilderment, "What are you talking about, Anyu?"

"Lord Yelu! He's Janus' reincarnation.  He just took responsibility for destroying the caravel Nenel where Queen Darla and grandmother Aurnia were killed! He killed King Kendric in the throne room too, I'm certain of it! I swear I overheard Lord Knight Corann say something about that once. Oh Leonora, there is no time to spare, we have to leave here. Quickly! He wants to kill us too. I know it," cried Anyu hysterically.

Leonora rose coolly, "No Anyu, _you_ must leave. He doesn't know you are a princess. Or if he does, he hasn't shown any knowledge."

"He killed father the beinor I was born, when mother was still in labour with me. The man is shrewd and sinister – there is no way he has not done the math," asserted Anyu. "I am the right age to be the child that mother bore that beinor, even if he doesn't know my natal beinor is beinor 152 exactly. He _knows_ , sister. He knows."

"All the more reason for you to take the Liltaél and start your journey across the stars. Mother was very public about your journey. It was well done of her to declare you an explorer on a planned mission. It does not look like you are fleeing. But you must not delay, Anyu," asserted Leonora.

"I cannot! Not without you or Caranden. What will happen to you if I go away?"

Leonora took a deep breath, "Nothing different than if you do not go away – except that Lord Yelu is likely to use you as leverage against me. It's no secret I'm protective of my little sister now is it? And as for Caranden – he is the only legal heir left to the Gurun dynasty. We've both known since even before you were born that anyone who wished to overthrow the Gurun dynasty would have to kill him."

"No!" cried Anyu. "They cannot, they must not kill him! He's innocent."

"We are all innocent, Anyu. Father was, grandfather, great-grandmother; how many generations have not been killed so that these descendants of Janus and Kaleb could carry out their revenge? Lord Knight Elendir lost both his parents to this terrorism; so much bloodshed, so many innocent lives."

"I was Elendir's mother once; two lives ago, you know," sniffed Anyu, trying to control her tears.

"And I was once Janus' sister, Lady Priestess Ecter, Lady Priestess Miriam's mother and co-founder of the Choire Ar Cerridwen. If this Yelu was Janus as you suggest, then he is likely to have an equal vendetta against me. I broke from house Shem to join house Miyoo; for a radical like Janus or Cariadoc, there are few greater insults to their pride."

"No! No! Please no!" begged Anyu. "I don't want you to die. I love you. You're my sister; I love you!"

Leonora held her weeping younger sister tightly, perhaps for the last time for all either knew, "I love you too, Anyu. I am so proud of you; you are so smart and so beautiful! It has been wonderful being your sister." Leonora broke the embrace and stared deeply into Anyu's eyes, "Now, no more tears. You must get to the Liltaél! Do not delay any longer. Leave, leave while you still can." Princess Anyu nodded, and then went to her apartment to pack.

When Anyu arrived, she found her closets empty. Looking for her jewellery she found empty drawers, including both necklaces given to her on her 30th and 34th natal beinors. Even her sword was gone. Fear crept in, panic. The door to her office was open. Cautiously she peered inside. Seated at her conference table was Lord Knight Elendir. Anyu breathed a sigh of relief, "Lord Knight, I did not expect to see you here...."

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I have: the ghost of Lord Janus. He's Lord Yelu."

Elendir nodded, "I suspected as much, Your Highness."

"Please do not call me that. I am just Lady Engineer Anyu of house Xing-li now."

"As you wish; do not worry about your belongings. I've already had them transferred to the Liltaél. You are ready to depart," informed Elendir.

Anyu stammered, "T-thank you for your unexpected help."

"I knew about your mother's plans before you did, Anyu. Her father was my best friend; I've made a point to protect her as her champion and now you out of memory and love for King Kendric. He would have wanted that."

Anyu nodded, uncertain what to say, "I don't want to go now it comes to it."

"Yes you do, Anyu. Your heart has always wanted to explore, to learn new things."

"I know. Maybe I am done with death and pain. First your father is murdered, then you lost me to this terror only to find me again when I was singing, only to lose me trying to protect Kendric."

"I know, Mother."

"You knew?"

"Yes, my wife is a priestess, after all. Granted, she normally does not sense re-incarnation very well, but the beinor you were born she had a vision about you and about the loss of Prince Kian. It is time to find yourself again; on this journey, I think you will find the peace you seek."

Princess Anyu fell into Elendir's protective arms, embracing him as mother, friend, and granddaughter of his dearest friend, "I love you."

"And I love you ... we will see each other again, Anyu. Of this I am certain," declared Elendir resolutely. "Though Beinan should fall to tyranny and hatred, I will find you again... just as you promised me, long ago!" Elendir raised his voice in song, "Love for the beauty of the soul... I shall love you always."

Anyu slowly joined him in song, "When the flower of life has gone, ever I shall find you."

Together the melody grew stronger, more resolute as they sang in unison, "When all is lost and winter comes, I shall be your spring time. And memory fades and wilts then, I shall always find you. I shall always find you ...."

Elendir smiled as she broke the embrace, "Come, let me walk you to the Liltaél."

Ready at last emotionally for her long voyage, Princess Anyu strode with Lord Knight Elendir through the secret corridors concealing the great laboratory housing Lord Engineer Kian's greatest work: the star craft Liltaél.

"Order! Order, I say," cried the bailiff in charge of security at the Great Hall of the Assembly. Inside the council chambers, the delegates screamed and shouted at one another in a cacophony never heard inside its walls.

"I will not yield," cried Lady Knight Aldris of house Gurun. "This Yelu the Bastard is clearly a cruel and vicious tyrant of a man. His only goal is to undermine the order of our society and remove by force our chosen queen, ending the longest ruling dynasty in Beinarian history."

"By what right does Gurun maintain the throne?" shouted Lady Elanda of house Ana. "The historical records are clear: the only reason why the Gurun dynasty continued past the reign of Queen Isabelle is because of the deal offered and accepted by Lord Arthur of house Xing-li granting continuation of the Gurun dynasty in exchange for his daughter being made co-sovereign. Queen Eleanor I of course abdicated in favour of motherhood like the fool she was when she was in a position to seize complete power for herself and house Xing-li – as she should have done."

"I concur," agreed Lord Ian of house Xing-li. "There was nothing truly legal about the continuation of this Gurun dynasty. It continues only through subverting the law, a subversion that we must now correct."

"How long ago did Lord Yelu buy you?" accused Lady Knight Aldris of house Gurun, eying the Xing-li leader shrewdly. "What was the bribe? Agreeing not to blow up Olos-Mir? Suspending all interstellar expeditions perhaps? Forbidding research on interstellar technologies? Yes, I know about your conversation with Lord Engineer Kian before he was murdered in this chamber. You even ordered Kian's star craft, the Liltaél, destroyed."

"You are a bold one to make accusations," mocked Lord Ian. "What makes you think I have even met this Lord Yelu?"

"Your actions in this council speak volumes, Lord Ian," declared Lady Aldris.

"A knight of Gurun, no matter how beautiful, is not qualified to comment on this matter. How can you challenge or begin the criticize your own house? Nay, I say, you, lady, are far too biased in the matter. Yours is a conflict of interest," proclaimed Lord Ian.

"Is mine?" asked Lord Narvan of house Miyoo. "I hold no special rank in house Miyoo, no ordination, nor am I trained as a healer. The only conceivable bias I can hold is shared parentage with High Priestess Aina, a sister I respect, but do not supplicate myself to. I have looked at this so-called evidence against house Gurun and against the queen and see no cause for terminating the Gurun dynasty.

"Yet I see ample evidence against this Lord Yelu. Only two beinors ago he confessed to murdering more than one member of the royal family. We all witnessed Lord Kian's murder on this floor. He is a villain filled with hate, a vengeful spirit more concerned with the distant past than the suffering these bombings he is tied to have caused. Not only with certain nobles towards whom his ancestors might have held cause to resent, but towards the greater population.

"Since my birth in BE 6667, more than two hundred eighty two public buildings and private vessels have been destroyed, killing in that time no less than 1.0468 million of our people and perhaps as many as 1.864 million citizens. These are hardly targeted attacks against a group deemed responsible for some grievance that by law is required to be settled either in this chamber or by the sovereign of Beinan. This is terror against all of Beinan. Right or wrong, this is our system of laws, flawed though it be. Nothing can justify this terror, neither in our savage past nor anything in our laws, history, or customs. This is tyranny, my friends. I for one shall not tolerate it!"

From the shadows, Lord Lixin emerged holding a plasma rifle aimed at Lord Narvan's head, "Be silent, Narvan, or join your precious Lord Kian in the so-called afterlife."

"Is this how those of reason and virtue are to be treated then, Lord Lixin? Join this Yelu the Bastard, die, or be silent?" protested Lord Narvan.

Lord Lixin sneered, "Soon there shall be no need to consider such a question, Lord Narvan of house Miyoo. This council shall be disbanded. My lord is only waiting for the right time to make it official."

Narvan met Lixin's eyes coldly, "If this be what is to come, then I ask you now for permission to resign and return to my family to spend with them whatever beinors or shir-ors we have left. May I depart, Your Highness?"

Lord Lixin laughed with delight. In all his life, no one had conceded his royal birth as the grandson of King Kendric I, "You chose your words well, Lord Narvan. In honour of this, you may go without threat to your person."

Lord Narvan bowed politely, concealing the fire in his heart, "I thank you. Good fortune to you all. I take my leave."

"Aina, you must prepare to evacuate the temples in Bira Hecen!" cried Narvan hastily as he entered the temple of Abka Biya in Bira Hecen.

"I don't understand," raced High Priestess Aina, trying to keep pace with her brother's brisk trek through the castle.

"Lord Yelu is taking over the planet – openly. I narrowly avoided assassination on the assembly chamber floor."

"But you are politically neutral; your nearest political bias is sharing the same mother as I have and being my brother," protested Aina, desperately trying to keep pace with her brother.

"Exactly. But being house Miyoo I still have the instincts and intuition of our house. Aina, I think Lord Lixin and Lord Yelu want to make an example of us, to quiet opposition so that people will be too afraid to act against them. Can you think of a better way than to destroy the hearts of each of the houses most likely to resist them?"

"No; I cannot. If I were them, that is exactly how I would solidify such power," acknowledged High Priestess Aina, the full realization of her brother's words striking at her heart.

"We cannot evacuate in any manner that would be noticed. We have to hide this – but how?" declared Narvan.

"There is one among us who may have some ideas; the steward of this castle's observatory, Lady Laela. She's a mysterious figure who keeps to herself. But – "

"Let's find her," affirmed Lord Narvan.

"My lady, it is time," declared Lord Morlong aboard the star craft Liltaél.

Princess Anyu sat down in the pilot's seat, pressing buttons and flipping switches. Prince Kian's star drive engine hummed to life. Anyu looked at Morlong nervously, "I cannot thank you enough for your help. No doubt your aid has come in forms I will never know, a debt I cannot repay."

"Repay me by launching before your launch looks like an evacuation. Once you leave our solar system, there are several recordings, I bade you view. In four beinors the Liltaél will be in the correct position to set your real course. Until then, follow the programmed flight plan. If you set your course too soon, the palace computers will log your final destination, making it easier to hunt you down. I have no doubt that this Lord Yelu possesses a rather large fleet of star craft. Be wary and be safe!" instructed Lord Morlong. With the princess' acknowledging nod, he disembarked. Princess Anyu entered a keyed sequence into the controls. The ramp raised and hatch slide shut, making an airtight seal. She was ready at last.

With a quiet hum, the Liltaél rose up two zhang 张 from the floor. Carefully Princess Anyu navigated through a hidden doorway that opened unexpectedly from the back of the laboratory into a corridor wide enough to accommodate a star craft four times the size of the Liltaél, a corridor Anyu never knew existed but seemed by the looks of the stone structure to be no less than four thousand yen-ars old, no doubt part of the original palace complex before it was forgotten by dozens of renovations over the course of Beinarian history. Almost unmarked, the star craft emerged like a ghost from the palace and into the open air. Still using docking thrusters, Princess Anyu navigated into the regular lanes of traffic, trying to emulate a low altitude craft, despite the blue platinum skin of the star craft. Driving carefully through traffic, she waited until she cleared Hejing, and then pressed a crystalline lever forward. The star drive roared to life, building up power before leaping suddenly up and away, circumventing a developing upper atmosphere hurricane six thousand li 里 across before breaking through Beinan's atmosphere entirely. The Liltaél passed near Biya Gaelach, its pale blue atmosphere now clearly the reason for the moon's blue aura as seen from the Beinarian surface. Ever the scientist, Princess Anyu ran scans, collecting as much data on the moon as she could in the short xiao-shirs the Liltaél was close enough to do so, the urgency of her departure momentarily forgotten as the star craft sped deeper into the Beinarian solar system.

Despite Anyu's immediate feeling of wonder and curiosity, she was not free yet. With the Liltaél very much within tracking range of dozens of Beinarian computers, her progress into the solar system was noted in every Beinarian city. As Lord Morlong looked towards the new "star" that was her star craft, his heart raced. Time was of the essence to prevent Lord Yelu from destroying her star craft from the planet's surface.

Queen Constance walked her garden alone. In the sky she saw the bright star that was the Liltaél. Her daughter was free! Constance wept at the sight. Would she see her again? A wild konyn jumped into the queen's path. The queen watched the little rodent graze on the stem of a flower, ignorant of all the changes that surrounded it. Lord Morlong strode up to her, "The Liltaél is away. It will take four beinors before she can safely set her course."

Queen Constance nodded, "That is well. What of Lord Elendir and Lord Corann? Are they safe?"

"Their whereabouts is unknown. My greater concern is for you and what you will do this shir-or. These next four beinors are critical, Your Majesty. Though hidden from sight for many yen-ars, I have no doubt that Yelu has access to planetary defence systems no one has used or even tested in hundreds of yen-ars. Those defence systems can readily destroy a star craft from the ground, even with the thick atmosphere. She not safe yet," reported Morlong.

"What must I do?"

"Distract Lord Yelu – without losing your life. I suspect he prefers to use you in some way rather than kill you. I do not think right now he has enough power to afford killing you, not while the Great Council still exists, anyway."

"Will he disband the council?"

"Probably, Your Majesty. In my travels I have seen others do so. That is why you must hold his attention any way that you can. Keep his eyes fixed on you so that he may be blind towards those who would escape him to regroup and form a resistance to him. I think there is still reason to hope in that regard. Certainly by the time your daughter returns she will need such a support structure to be in place. She cannot, by herself, overthrow him. But your people, if enough of them find a way to remain free, are able to – with her leadership of course."

"Will I be asked to sacrifice my dignity, Morlong?"

"Better your dignity than your life. As long as you live you can serve as a focal point for hope, for resistance. The journey will be long and agonizing, Constance, but then, I think you have known that for most of your life."

Inside, Queen Constance trembled with understanding. But Morlong was right; clearly he came from a long-lived race, long enough to see a pattern in the events unfolding, "Yes, Morlong, I know. This re-incarnation of Lord Janus has waited hundreds of yen-ars to exact his revenge. I will let him have it then – for now. It is perhaps the nature of life that some sorrows must be endured for many yen-ars before the window of opportunity can open that allows for lasting change."

"At last, Your Majesty, you have grown up!" remarked Morlong.

Constance nodded, "Very well then. If yen-ars of sorrow and torment are to be my destiny, let it come sooner rather than later. Let us get this business over with."

"Are you certain it can be done?" asked Lady Abbess Althea from the sanctuary at the Ten-Arian monastery customarily used for ceremonies.

"Yes, Your Grace," answered High Priestess Aina. "The centres for houses Gurun, Miyoo, Ten-Ar, and Xing-li are the most obvious targets for attack – but not our secondary centres of learning nor the apartment buildings owned by and home to many of our members across planet. Granted, Lord Yelu and his relatives have bombed some residential buildings over the yen-ars, but those are a tiny fraction compared to the public buildings and major centres for each house. It is a far more terrifying prospect when a healing centre is bombed than when an apartment building is, not to mention easier to target individuals of specific houses."

"I concur with my sister; if we were to quietly disperse our populations into apartments and even smaller cities and towns, we can avoid much loss of life. The less concentrated our people are, the harder it will be for Yelu and Lixin to attack us without losing whatever support they have managed to cultivate over the yen-ars. It was telling the way they tout houses Plover, Skeinera, and Croften; their base must be therefore outside of the nobility," concluded Lord Narvan.

"What of my brother and nephew? You know they will want to help," remarked Althea.

"The problem with Lord Knight Elendir and Lord Knight Corann is their high profile," observed High Priestess Aina. "Elendir was famously close to King Kendric I and Corann has been the queen's lover; he may even be Princess Anyu's father for all we know."

"You think Anyu is my great-niece?" bewildered Althea.

"When was the last time you looked at Lady Healer Darah's data on the princess?"

"I am not sure I ever have. I lead the healers of Ten-Ar, but I do not supervise healers from other houses. Queen Constance, as leader of house Gurun, is the one charged with overseeing the work of Gurun healers," admitted Althea.

"For now, we must all purge our memories of Lady Anyu lest Yelu and Lixin find some mechanism for extracting information that none of us are trained to circumvent," cautioned Narvan.

"A wise course," agreed Aina. "Now, let us plan the evacuation. We may have only shir-ors to get our people to safety and freedom."

Ten shir-ors passed in eerie silence in the palace without a word from Lord Yelu. Queen Constance sat in her office, deep in thought. The door chime rang a courtesy she doubted either Lixin or Yelu would extend. Before she could answer, Lord Knight Corann entered, worry on his face. Constance rushed to greet him, holding him close to her and kissing him tenderly. Corann held her, uncertain if he would ever hold her again, "An army surrounds Hejing, Constance. We are besieged. Soon, Lord Yelu and his nephew will close in and take the palace."

"What news of your father?"

"I-I-I do not know. There is a rumour that my aunt has recalled him for some sort of mission, but I do not know the details."

"We have three beinors, my love. Three beinors where all our hopes and fears hang in the balance."

"Surely you to not expect us to get through this unscathed."

"No, we will not escape Corann. But – there may yet be hope."

"The Liltaél?"

"Yes. She's only in range a few more beinors. After that, it will take a fleet of star craft to find and destroy her," confessed Constance.

"Well then, we must buy her some time!" agreed Corann. "I am willing to die if it means hope for our people. But then, I have always been prepared to lay down my life."

"Where are your bows, Corann?"

"No bow – heritage or modern – can compete with the power of the weapons I know Yelu armed his forces with. I suspect he's been building for this coup d'état for tens of yen-ars."

"Then how will you protect me?"

"By staying alive; live to fight another beinor, another yen-ar," confessed Corann. "Only free can I help you; forgive me for this, I know you expected otherwise. I am useless to you dead, my love, no matter how romantic it sounds to die for you. One thing they teach all knights of Ten-Ar is strategy. Trust me now," begged Corann.

"I trust you."

Corann swept her up into a passion kiss. When finally they lips parted, he bowed humbly, "Expect me when you see me." With a swirl of his cloak, Corann disappeared into the shadows.

Queen Constance dressed herself carefully with help of RM7 in Gurun crimson. Upon her shoulders she added a favourite cloak of her mother's, its Kelly green velvet contrasting sharply with the crimson of her bliaut and kirtle, its heraldic sailing ship reminding her of happier yen-ars. In these final shir-ors of freedom she would honour and remember her mother, remember how beautiful Princess Aurnia really was. For all the politics and expectations upon her, Queen Constance was, in her heart, house Cashmarie as well. A yearning to sail upon the Amba Mederi filled her. Any other beinor, she could just order a low altitude shuttle to take her to Bira Hecen for a beinor relaxing on the bow of a caravel. Now she dared not even ask to sail on the Amur River, something her own mother loved to do, she recalled. So much death, so much pain for so many generations.

It was time to put an end to all of that.

With the sea-yearning in her heart, Queen Constance dared imprudence. Taking well known passages through the palace, she stepped outside into the cold air. Sleet began to fall. The queen did not mind it. Mud covered her velvet shoes as she walked through the grass. Constance did not care. Forty zhang 张 into the palace grounds she spotted a small pleasure boat, a man and his wife relaxing on the river with their daughter. Constance bowed to them, "I am Constance of house Cashmarie. May I join you for a few xiao-shirs on the river, please?"

The husband nodded his head politely, careful not to unbalance his boat, "Silas of house Cashmarie. And yes, certainly you may join us – but if you do not mind me asking – aren't you Queen Constance of house Gurun?"

"My mother was house Cashmarie, Lord Silas. I – miss the water. Before she died she often took me sailing. Forgive me, I do not mean to impose."

Silas steered the boat to the river bank so Constance could enter the boat, "Not at all."

In the comfort of Silas' boat, Constance relaxed, letting herself drift into memories of her mother. Finally, after sixty two xiao-shirs, Silas drew the boat to the opposite bank of the river, "Time for you to disembark, Your Majesty."

Opening her eyes, Constance observed forty men armed with both modern and heritage weapons: recurve bows made of nara wood, laser épées, schlager swords, plasma rifles, even laser crossbows. Understanding filled Constance. Carefully, she stepped out of Silas' boat and raised her open hands to the armed men, "I do not resist. Take me into your custody if you wish. I know when I am beaten."

With a laugh, two of the armed men bound Constance's hands in front of her with a piece of nara rope. "Oh looksy, the high and mighty queen of Beinan, they say. More like the low and baudy whore of Gurun. Ya know what they say about 'er. She's got 'erself a stash of lovers who pay 'er to take her clothes off for 'em," catcalled one of the men binding her.

"I sure as would like to be one of 'em," cried another, fingering the fabric of the queen's cloak. "Ya think General Yelu will reward me with a bit of sport with 'er?"

"Nah! You know those gener'ls. They want all the sport for themselves. But I 'ure would like t' watch 'em. She'll be great sport for 'em," heckled another, pushing the queen towards the palace.

"Let's take some sport from 'er now! The general won't notice, he won't mind if we warm her up for 'em. Bet she hasn't had a decent poke in thirty yen-ars," jeered a third soldier.

"I wouldn't if I were you," hissed Lady Narwen sternly, taking hold of the prisoner personally.

The gaggle hushed and bowed to Lady Narwen, "Begging your pardon, milady. We's only wanting some fun."

"Well then," countered Narwen, "I shall enjoy the sport my brother receives from you. Since none of you can be trusted to deliver her, I shall do it personally. You are dismissed." Fearfully the soldiers disappeared back into the city around them, leaving Constance alone with Narwen. Narwen smiled at the queen once they were out of sight, "Good morning, Lady Constance. I am Narwen, daughter of Elendir."

"I do not understand. Elendir has no daughter," stammered Constance.

"I am Yelu's twin sister; my mother is Lady Elita."

"Why rescue me from those – scoundrels – if you mean to deliver me to your brother?"

"Not all is what it seems, Constance. You have friends even among those who serve my brother. But the time is not yet. For now, there is little I can do for you – beyond keep the rabble from tormenting you. Much depends on secrecy from those who understand my brother and quietly dissent from him."

"Your brother is a vicious tyrant."

"Hate does that to a person."

"But you do not hate me."

"Why would I hate you? I do not know you. But I do know him. If you and those you love are to survive, you must give him what he wants; he has no conscience about using extreme methods to extract it otherwise. I would rather see you harmed as little as possible, but I ask you to please cooperate – for all our sakes!"

"I am prepared to do so, Lady Narwen."

"Good!"

Narwen and Constance reached the throne room. Narwen carefully arranged Constance's cloak before entering. For the first time in Constance's life, she entered unheralded. Around her gathered over two hundred Beinarians of all houses and classes, each waiting to see what happened next. Yelu sat on Constance's throne in cerulean blue, a red velvet cloak on his shoulders regally, "Ah, sister! You have achieved what even my best soldiers could not. Is she unspoiled?"

Lady Narwen bowed to her brother, "Quite unspoiled, Your Grace."

Constance breathed deeply, using all of her education to conceal her rage. Yelu smiled, descending from the steps to Constance's level, "Well, Lady Constance, you see I was not bluffing. I am the ruler of Beinan now and you – you are but a toy for my entertainment and pleasure, a trophy if you will that I fully intend to exploit."

Constance bowed her head to Yelu, though not her knee, "As you wish. I am your prisoner."

"Yes – you are. But a proud one, I think! Well, I have the remedy for that," giggled Yelu. "Nephew, if you please!"

Prince Lixin stepped forward with a box in his hands. He pressed three control buttons. A roar of explosions sounded. Lixin pressed four more buttons. More explosions. Finally he pressed a sequence of five buttons. Beneath them the ground rumbled, hurdling many of those gathered in the throne room off their feet.

"What happened?" demanded Queen Constance the Kind angrily.

"Just a few more bombs, nothing I have not done before," leered Yelu. "But these, I think, you will agree are my best work yet. I have just destroyed the temple of Abka Biya, the Beinarian monastery, and oh yes! The west wing of this ancient palace of yours!" Yelu danced with delight, "Your power base is gone now, Constance! There is no one to rescue you now, poor proud child! You are alone – or will be when I am done with my other prisoners."

"What other prisoners?" demanded Constance.

"Narwen, please bring them in," commanded Yelu. Narwen bowed, and then retrieved a young man and a young woman. "Ah, Caranden, Leonora, so _good_ of you to join us."

Constance eyed Yelu, "Leave them alone, Yelu. It is me you want. They are no threat to you."

"Only if you give me what I want," bargained Yelu.

"And what is that?"

Yelu caressed her hair and kissed her seductively, "I think you know."

"Very well then, but you will not hurt them."

"Of course!" slithered Yelu, his hand drifted underneath the queen's kirtle to her thigh.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

Yelu guffawed, "You can't! That is the beauty of you being my prisoner. Resist me and I will kill you – and them. Give me what I want, serve me as I command, and you get to live."

"I will yield; just don't kill anyone else."

"It is a bargain – as long as I get _everything_ I want."

"Yes, Your Majesty," bowed Constance.

Yelu squeezed her thigh, " _Perfect_!" Yelu raised his head to address the soldiers gathered near him, "Guards, send Lady Constance to the sovereign's apartment and give her the nara wine prepared for her. I shall join her when I am able." With a bow the guards escorted Constance away.

Yelu slithered to Leonora, caressing her cheek, "You and I have unfinished business as well, Princess Leonora. I have not forgotten your betrayal. Let us now discuss it in private."

"As you wish," acknowledged Leonora expectantly. As Yelu took Leonora by the arm to escort her to her former apartment, Yelu made a signal at one of his soldiers. Four soldiers aimed their weapons at Prince Caranden and fired. The prince fell dead instantly. By the time Yelu and Leonora arrived in her chambers, the prince already burned on his pyre, his ashes joining those of his brethren left to die in the west wing.

"So, my once sister how does it feel to be deflowered?" panted Lord Yelu from on top of Leonora as he finished raping her for the first time.

Leonora looked up into Yelu's eyes, "Nothing you have not done before, Janus, only this time you did not drug me into oblivion. Not ready for fatherhood?"

"It's still early," taunted Yelu. "As long as you are under my power, I can quicken you at my leisure. For now, I am content to be your first, to have out of you what can only be given or taken but once!"

"Be careful, Yelu. Last time you got me with child it was to your own undoing."

"Is that a threat, princess? Would you like me to bed you again? Perhaps you enjoyed it more than you seemed as you fought me in vain for your dignity?"

"Pleasuring my body does not make me willing."

"No – but it does humiliate you more," cackled Yelu as he disengaged himself from her and dressed, leaving her alone and despoiled. Panting, Leonora dressed herself as best she could before the guard seized her and threw her into the locked room that would become her new chamber.

Inside the sovereign's apartment, Queen Constance paced. A servant brought a carafe of nara wine along with two goblets; she presumed the second was for Lord Yelu. Knowing the wine most certainly was laced with something; Constance poured it into her goblet and drank deeply. This was a fate she could not avoid; resistance could only harm her people. As much as she anticipated the worst from Yelu, Constance understood the state of affairs around her well. Enduring Yelu and appearing to cooperate was the only way she could save lives. With full comprehension of all of this, she drank, noting a slight difference in the flavour of the wine that most certainly was evidence of at least one drug. Finishing the first glass, she refilled her goblet and drank deeply. RM7 hovered near her with concern, yet said nothing to her. Finally, Lord Yelu arrived, his kirtle unlaced and no longer wearing his doublet. RM7 turned towards him. Yelu pulled out a plasma pistol and fired. RM7 exploded. "Now we are alone, Constance."

"What do you want of me, Yelu?"

Yelu unfastened the queen's cloak. It fell to the ground. Stepping around the queen, Yelu unfastened her bliaut, pulling it down off her shoulders, then off her hips. Yelu kissed her neck. Constance endured his advances stoically. Yelu slipped a hand under her kirtle, massaging her breast. Constance felt her breath change as he stimulated her body against her will. Yelu unfastened her kirtle, and then turned her around, kissing her ravenously before pulling the kirtle off her body and exposing her nakedness. Constance maintained her composure, though the drug was starting to fill her head, making her dizzy. Yelu wordlessly pulled off his kirtle and unfastened his trousers. Naked, he drove Constance onto her bed, kissing her seductively as he mounted her. Constance closed her eyes as she felt him rape her and felt her body respond with pleasure. Against her will she found herself pleasured, panting and heaving. Tears fell from her eyes as he felt him finish, the only sign of her resistance. As Yelu disengaged from her and lay next to her on her bed, he remarked, "You have been bedded recently. Who is your lover, whore?"

"No one of consequence, Your Majesty. He was in the west wing when you detonated it. You have killed him; I will never see him again," answered Constance, not truly knowing whether or not Corann lived, but hoping Yelu would believe her. To convince him further, she allowed herself to sob hysterically.

"So you are ready to give me what I want."

"What do you want of me that you have not now already taken?"

Yelu pulled out betrothal pendant from house Ten-Ar and fastened it around her neck, "You will consent to this. It is the only way to save your daughter's life."

Constance breathed hard. The Liltaél was still within firing range. Thinking only of Anyu, Constance assented, "I consent. At the time of your choosing, I shall be yours in whatever ceremony you desire for the purpose."

Yelu fastened the pendant around her neck, "And you shall not resist me when I demand you. You shall endeavour to please me as my lawful wife for all the yen-ars of your life."

"Yes," agreed Constance, prostituting herself in exchange for her people.

Yelu mounted her again, "Excellent! Now let us be sealed, wife!" The drug took complete control of Constance. For the next four beinors she assented to and encouraged Yelu to bed her, keeping the tyrant busy and isolated from everything and everyone else. In Constance's office, her computer beeped unnoticed as the Liltaél blinked, then disappeared from Beinarian tracking computers.

#  Epilogue

On BE 6961, beinor 154, my mother, Queen Constance the Kind, sacrificed everything to give me my one chance at escaping the weapon systems under Lord Yelu's control. Hating Yelu as much as she loved Lord Knight Corann, she hid her feelings and played along with Yelu's whims. It would not be until I returned to Beinan that I discovered Yelu's plans that beinor; the drug my mother drank was no different than the one Janus gave Lady Ecter when he first raped her, conceiving in Lady Ecter his daughter, the future Lady Priestess Miriam, and through them, the Choire Ar Cerridwen.

In my mother's body, a child was quickened by Yelu's persistence in those last beinors of the Beinarian era. Across Beinan, the fires emanating from the Ten-Arian monastery, from the temple of Abka Biya, and from the palace spread widely, destroying many familiar and sacred places. As I set course in my star craft for D425E25 Tertius, my star craft detected a strange anomaly coming out of the temple where I found so much peace. A small shockwave hit my star craft two xiao-shirs later. In my mind I heard Lady Laela's voice and knew that somehow she was behind whatever it was my star craft detected, working unseen and unnoticed though for what purpose I would not understand until I returned to Beinan.

The Beinan I knew was gone. But deep inside me I knew something else: that out of the darkness and cold comes a new spring, a new hope. If I ever doubted it, all I needed to do was listen to the messages left for me on board the Liltaél. The story of my exile on D425E25 Tertius and of my return to Beinan, planet B345A15 Quartus in Beinarian nomenclature took me down many unexpected roads. Many I loved perished in that Great War whose lives I honour across this history of the last yen-ars of the Beinarian Era. Many hidden things revealed themselves at last. I am not proud of what I said and did along the way. But this I affirm forever: in the darkest night, in the deepest snow, in the bitterest sorrow, there is love, there is light, and there is a new life waiting for you if you simply find the courage within yourself to believe.

### Also available by Laurel A. Rockefeller:

Fiction

The Poisoned Ground

Good-bye A672E92 Quintus

The Great Succession Crisis

The Ghosts of the Past

Princess Anyu Returns

The Complete Data Files (companion book)

Non-Fiction

Boudicca: Britain's Queen of the Iceni

Catherine de Valois

Empress Wu Zetian

Mary Queen of the Scots

Queen Elizabeth Tudor: Journey to Gloriana

Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, the Warrior Princess of Deheubarth

Empress Matilda of England

Preparing for My First Cockatiel

Many titles are also available for the stage. Perfect for backyard play, community theater, and educational use.

Select titles also available in audio edition.

About the Series:

The Peers of Beinan Series began in November 2010 with the first drafts of what would become the Legacy of Princess Anlei Trilogy, the core novels at the heart of the book series. Originally imagined as fan fiction to the 1983 television series "Benji, Zax, and the Alien Prince," the first draft originally told the back story to how and why Prince Yubi left Antars for exile on planet Earth. Some of this story remains in the unpolished draft chapters for "The Great Succession Crisis" and "Ghosts of the Past" that is found in the companion book "The Lost Tales."

But the original idea was not meant to be. As the story outline expanded from one book to three, a universe wholly different from Joe Camp's canon for BZAP emerged. The fan fiction idea was abandoned and the Peers of Beinan came into its own with tales of paranormal romance grounded in the author's extensive background in medieval history along with tales of murder and terror that hallmark "The Ghosts of the Past."

Original music, themes of hope in the darkest of situations, and the particularly vicious quality of Peers of Beinan villains all reflect the author's formative years growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska USA. Those interested in the largely private details of the author's biography should look to the second half of "The Poisoned Ground and the Healer Consort," and the entirety of "The Ghosts of the Past," and "Princess Anyu Returns" where those years are most intensely reflected in the plot and villains.

Through all the darkness, there is always hope and light. All it takes to break free of the most difficult times of your life is the belief that you will do so and the persistence to see it through until all that is sorrow and pain melts away into beauty, joy, and love.

Bright blessings to you and yours today and for all the days to come.

\--Laurel A. Rockefeller

