Ammonite Stars (Omnibus): Ammonite Galaxy #4-5 (16 page)

“That was different! That was for a reason!”

“These kids were stealing for a reason too, you know. Nobody would risk their lives like that unless they absolutely had to, would they?”

Diva suddenly burst out laughing. “Six, you are the absolute limit,” she told him. “You might at least have let me wear some decent clothes for a couple of days!”

“I’ll buy you some.”

“With all that money you have just given away? And Cesis will fall into Cian, I suppose?”

“I really am sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah … I bet!”

“We’ll have to make them stop throwing people to the Tattula cats too, won’t we? OUCH! Those shoes have HEELS! That hurt!”

“You deserved it. Yes, I suppose we will. Now, do you mind if I go back to my palace for the last time, and enjoy just one more Mesteta wine bath?”

Six lifted his hands. “Be my guest!”

BEFORE MORNING BROKE they were on their way down to the Lublank prison, escorted by a confused Bennel and an honour guard of twenty men. They had decided to act immediately; they didn’t want to risk some official acting precipitously and encasing the two children in rexelene before the scheduled appearance in front of the authorities. Bennel was regarding them with an extremely worried expression. He had the feeling that he was about to become unemployed again, and he was kicking himself for ever agreeing to accompany
Valhai
Six to the Widowmaker in the first place. He should have known that no good would come of it. He had known that the Kwaidian was prone to get himself embroiled in local affairs, and it would have been a simple matter to have arranged for a short-term sleeping draft to be added to Valhai Six’s water. He would have safely slept away the few hours before the ceremony. Bennel walked in front of the newly married pair with dragging steps. Now he would be sent back to Mount Palestron, and he hated the slow country life there. And what would his family do without the money he earned?

Diva was looking around her at the Coriolan countryside. She gave a heavy sigh. It seemed that she was destined to live elsewhere, although she loved the sight and smell of her own planet. She walked beside Six, rather surprised at herself. She had given up the right to rule Coriolis for the freedom of two unknown child thieves, and she didn’t think she was mad. She was just no longer the person she used to be. She had changed. It was a shocking realization. She wondered why she had never questioned her privileged upbringing until Six had shone a mental flashlight on it. Trust him! She looked sideways at him. He was walking along as if he hadn’t a care in the world, and she had hardly closed her eyes all night.

Bennel faltered in his step, and both Diva and Six snapped quickly out of their inward reveries. There was another party on the road, another group of guards protecting a valuable meritocrat.

Diva muttered under her breath as she realized who it was. “Wouldn’t you know?”

“What?” Six didn’t recognize the tall Coriolan who was standing proudly in the midst of his honour guard. “Who is that?”

Diva let out a ragged breath. “That,” she said, “is my esteemed second cousin, Tartalus.”

“Ahh!” Six nodded. “One of the pretenders, is he?”

Diva sighed. “One of my father’s favourites.”

“Hmm. Come to crow, has he? Well—” Six flexed his hands slightly, “—he might live to regret that.”

Diva glanced sideways. “Planning on making more trouble, Six?”

The Kwaidian shook his head. “Not at all. But if he starts it …”

Their small group had by now reached Tartalus’s bodyguards. The handsome Coriolan was regarding their approach with a rather supercilious smile on his face. Six was already itching to wipe it off.

“So, Cousin! I see your welcome home was short-lived. What a pity – my spies tell me you and your … err … consort are going to intervene in the matter of some thieves. Are you quite sure that it is wise to renounce your status as an Elder of Coriolis for the sake of a couple of dirty Namuri beggars?”

Diva stood tall. She seemed to shimmer, rather like Arcan did sometimes when annoyed, and Six felt a moment’s deep pride as he looked over at her. “Are you pleased by that, Tartalus?” she asked, with a touch of scorn.

“Not exactly. Just thought I would come to say goodbye. Wish you well. See you on your way.” He brushed a lock of hair away with one hand, and Six narrowed his eyes. There was an undercurrent here that he didn’t like. He looked from Diva to Tartalus and tightened his lips.

“Well, you needn’t have bothered, need you?” Diva curled one lip.

“You know me, Divina – always anxious to oblige …”

Six’s hand crept to the hilt of his kris.

“Perhaps,” the man went on, “you should have listened to your father, after all. If you and I had made an allegiance, then you wouldn’t find yourself forced to leave Coriolis under a cloud.”

Diva’s eyes flashed. “You think too much of yourself, Tartalus! I would never have married you. Never!”

“I assure you, I have much more to offer than this … this … Kwaidian untouchable.”

The Kwaidian untouchable ground his teeth audibly and Diva put out a light restraining hand to prevent any action on his part.

“You and I would never have made a good couple,” she told the Coriolan.

“You need to be put in your place. You have got above yourself. You need a man to tell you how to behave – not some plebeian unmentionable from the most backward planet in the system.”

Unfortunately, at that point, Tartalus was prevented from continuing. A plebeian unmentionable from the most backward planet in the system had thrown himself at the Coriolan meritocrat with a growl, and the two of them crashed to the ground under the impetus of the leap. There was chaos for a few seconds as the two groups of guards postured at each other, trying to decide if they were required to join the fray or not. Finally they limited their participation to a wary circling of the two combatants.

Six and Tartalus were rolling around on the ground, and Diva found herself in no doubt whatsoever of who she wanted to win. She watched as the two men struggled together, using their fists to the best of their ability.

The Coriolan was palace-trained and knew exactly how to get the better of an opponent, but Six was battle-trained and not one to give in easily. It was hard to see who was getting the upper hand, but then Tartalus pulled out his dagger, and there was a collective intake of breath from those watching.

“Six! A blade!” Diva shouted a warning, but it was unnecessary. As soon as Bennel had spotted the dagger, the bodyguard had plunged into the fray with no thought for his own safety, and was forcibly extricating his master. Six was now struggling against his own bodyguard, and Diva laughed at the expression of total disgust on his face.

“Let me go!” He struggled as Bennel signed to a couple of the guards to help with Six’s restraint. “I don’t care if he has drawn a dagger. I have my own. I can beat him hands down anyway! Let me go, I say!”

Bennel shook his head. “My job is to protect you,
Valhai
Six. I may not be able to stop you from leaving Coriolis, but I must and will make sure that you leave intact.”

“You are hurt,” Diva pointed to a deep scratch on Bennel’s arm. It was bleeding copiously and blood was dripping to the ground from his elbow.

The bodyguard shrugged. “It is of no import, my lady.”

Tartalus had staggered to his feet, and was now regarding Six with a supercilious expression. “Need your bodyguard to save you, do you?” he taunted.

Six struggled to free himself. “I do not!” he snarled. “Let me get at him!”

But the guards kept a tight hold on Six. Tartalus gave a triumphant smile around at his own followers. They applauded, and Six looked as if he were going to be sick on the spot.

“See, Divina? Your Kwaidian can’t even protect you!” Tartalus crowed.

“Six has saved my life countless times,” snapped Diva. “You drew a weapon, shame on you!”

“He had a blade too!”

“Yes, but he didn’t draw his, did he?” Diva shook her head. “You really are a piece of work, aren’t you Tartalus? You make me glad I am leaving Coriolis.”

“The feeling is quite mutual, I assure you. But don’t worry. I will be sure to keep a throne warm for your heir. Although, of course, such a lot of things might happen between now and then, mightn’t they?”

“You are not man enough to rule Coriolis, Tartalus, so stop plotting and accept it. Whoever made you believe I would ever marry you did you no favours.”

“There are ways.”

“You will never get your hands on the running of Coriolis.”

“Says the girl who is about to be repudiated!”

Six, who had stopped struggling and started to listen, began to realize something. He went quite still as his mind played around the unwelcome thought that had crept into his brain. His heart sank.

He listened to the exchange of pleasantries going on between his wife and this pompous fool of a meritocrat, but only with a distant part of his brain. The rest was going over and over the realization that had come to him.

He moved slowly forward, and took Diva by the hand, giving it a slight tug so that she would interrupt her conversation with Tartalus. She looked at him strangely, but obeyed, and they moved apart from the rest of the group.

Six kept hold of her hand, but turned her to face him. “You can’t go,” he told her quietly.

“Wh-what?”

“You can’t let yourself be repudiated.”

“B-but …”

“I know. You made up your mind to make a point of it. But think about it, Diva. If we are both repudiated we can do nothing more here on Coriolis. We will never be able to come back – at least not to the palace, not to be able to make a difference in anything. All we are going to do is save a few felons who happen to be in the Lublank prison right now – we aren’t going to change anything long term, are we?”

“Well, no, but …”

“And we could! If you just stay here for a bit longer I am sure you can persuade your mother to change the punishment system, make people more equal here. You would be able to bring Coriolis right up into the thirty-second century. If one of our children is to inherit this planet then we owe it to them to make it as civilized as we can.”

“Six! I … I can’t. You can’t ask me to stay here now …”

“Now what?”

“N-nothing. It’s just that I had already taken a decision about it.”

“I know. But you
have
to stay here. We
must
change the laws about criminal punishment.”

“Oh, all right. But I will have to repudiate you.”

“I know. Don’t worry about me – I will be fine on Kwaide.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at him with some suspicion. “Are you sure you aren’t doing this just to get rid of me?”

“Me?” He stared. “Of course not! Whyever would you …? Oh! … the girls … but I thought we had agreed that we would each go our separate ways?”

“We did.” Diva’s teeth grated together.

“Well then? I mean, by the same token, I might be jealous of Tartalus here.”

“TARTALUS?”

The Coriolan turned to look in their direction as Diva shouted his name, and then primped his curly locks rather smugly. Six eyed him with disfavour.

“Lower your voice, can’t you?” he whispered.

“Well, honestly!
Tartalus!
I wouldn’t have him if he were the last man in the system.”

“I’m glad to hear I rank higher than he does, but as I said, I thought we had decided to go our own ways.”

Diva was well and truly cornered. “We did,” she admitted. “As if I care how many girls on Kwaide find you attractive!” She looked as if she had been forced to eat a lemon.

“I didn’t think you did. Though it is pleasant to get attention, I must say.”

“Fine!”

He smiled, well-satisfied. “And in any case, you can’t leave this Tartalus character here on his own. He’ll poison your good name, and turn the rest of the population against your mother. She has started some changes here – and all that will be ruined if we both bale out now. If you turn your back on all this you will never forgive yourself.”

Diva gave a shaky sigh. “I suppose you are right. But I’m not staying here for long.”