My Enemy's Son (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 2) (29 page)

Chapter 20

Senya

Senya sat at his desk in his office in the
far corner of the second floor of his house.  He had plans spread out in front
of him.  Each bore detailed descriptions, drawings and calculations for a host
of new medical devices to be produced by SdK.  He thumbed through them, initialing
on the bottom when he approved them, marking them with notes and revisions when
he did not.  They were all good though.  Each one of them could be used in a variety
of surgical settings.  Every device would save thousands if not millions of
lives by the time they were distributed throughout the galaxy.  He would make
money on them too and that would help finance his next big project.

He tossed the drawings aside and leaned
back in his chair for a smoke, relishing the pungent tobacco as it filled his
lungs.  He was pleased with his company, with his work here on Rozari, with his
life now.  The planet was healing nicely, though his work was far from done. 
The largest obstacle that remained was the Karupatani Continent.  Until that
land was healed, until it began to grow again, the planet’s ecosystem would
never truly be in balance.  He would have to fix it, but not now, not yet.  It
could wait a little longer, until he was ready.

His vid rang just then and interrupted his
thoughts.  He exhaled the smoke he had been holding in his lungs and willed the
vid to connect. 

“Sir?” Kinar called across the stars. 
“Might I speak with you, Sir?”

“Go ahead,” Senya replied and put his feet
up on the desk, leaning back as far as his leather chair would allow.  He
willed himself a bottle of beer from the fridge and popped the top as Kinar
spoke.

“His Majesty is requesting your presence
for the Saint’s Day celebration next week.  Will you come, Sir?”

“Sorry,” Senya replied.  “I don’t do
Saint’s Day.”

“Yes, Sir.  I told Lord Dickon that.  I
reminded him in fact, but he requested that I invite you anyway.  Perhaps,
Madame would like to attend?”

Senya chuckled and took a long pull on his
beer.  “Madame does not do Saint’s Day either.  Is there anything else, Kinar? 
How are you and Berkan coming on the space dock lease?”

“We are still negotiating, Sir.  Mr.
Berkan said he would ring you in the morning with his report.  Lord Dickon is
asking when you might again grace us with your presence.  Shall I tell him you
will be attending Mr. Berkan’s board meeting next month?”

“No,” Senya replied.  “I’ll decide later
if I wish to make an appearance.  Thank you, Kinar.”  He was about to ring
off.  “Oh, Kinar?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“What time is the Raven’s game?”

“It’s about to start, Sir.  They are
playing the Bobcats.  They will probably lose.”

“Very good, Kinar.  Thank you.”

The vid went dark as Senya heard the faint
hiss of the underground garage door sliding open.  A few moments later, he
heard the clicking sound of Katie’s heels in the foyer followed by her soft
padded steps as she abandoned her shoes and walked in stocking feet.  She came
up the stairs and pushed open the door to his office.

“What are you doing home already?” she
asked, as a faint breath of wind washed over him, bathing him in her scent. 
There was a trace of the gardenia perfume she had sprayed on in the morning,
mixed with a bit of sweat, and lilac from her shampoo.  He loved her scent and
the sound of her thighs in their stockings, barely brushing against each other
as she walked toward him.  “Didn’t you have a meeting this afternoon?”  She
came to him and leaned down to kiss him, noting the open beer bottle on his
desk, the cigarette half-finished in his hand.

“I finished early.”  He pulled her down on
to his lap and reached up in her hair for the pin that kept her curls bound in
the Spaceforce regulation bun.  They cascaded down into his hand.  He
unbuttoned her uniform at the collar and worked it down until he could get his
hand inside and grasp her warm soft flesh.

“How many beers have you had already?” she
asked, though she didn’t push him away.

“Only this one,” he mumbled, putting his
mouth upon her neck.

“Good boy,” she said.

“I am a good boy,” he agreed.  His days
revolved around his work, his wife and since Thad introduced him to the sport,
now his team.  The Mishnese Raven’s game was about to begin and even though
they were going to lose, he would watch them while he ate dinner.  He was
starting to accomplish that which he had been sent here to do while living the
life of an almost normal man.

“Hey,” his wife said, drawing his
attention back to her.  “What are you so busy thinking about?”

“Football,” he replied.

“Football?” she sighed.  “Gosh, that
honeymoon ended quick.”

He laughed and unfastened the rest of her
buttons.  Ay yah, he would watch the football game whilst he ate whatever
creation she would make for him this night.  Afterward, he would pray.  He
would thank his Lord for the gifts that he had been given.  He would thank Him
for the strength and abilities he had been granted to accomplish his tasks. 
And, he would thank Him for the peace and happiness that he was feeling now for
the first time in his life.  But first, before all that, Senya would love his
wife for as long as she would let him.  Everything else, the company, the
planet, the Empire that was to be, would have to wait.

A Preview of Book 3

Of Blood and Angels

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It smelled of decay and the air was thick
with the dust.  There were no droppings of any sort, just tiny skeletal remains
of insects scattered about.  The windows and doors were long gone but the lamp
was still there swinging above the altar on a rusted chain.  He approached the
altar and the lamp cautiously, his bare feet disturbing that which had been
untouched for ten millenniums, kicking it up into clouds behind him.  Then he
turned and surveyed the cathedral, hearing the songs of the ancient people who
had worshipped here, who had celebrated their lives and rituals here.  He heard
the whispered voices of those who had died here too, their bodies and bones
vaporized, their molecules joining together in the dust.

He knelt down before the altar and he
prayed.  This was a tremendous task.  This was more than anything he had done
before.  His resolution faltered. 

“I don’t want to,” he said aloud.  “I
don’t want to do this!”

“You must,” a voice said.  “This is why
you are here.”

“This is your mission,” another voice
added.  “This is why you are as you are.”

“You have become too attached to your
mortal being,” a third chastised him.  “You have forgotten.”

“I haven’t!” Senya protested.  “I know, I
remember.  I want…”

Senya felt the warmth of his companions
surrounding him and filling him with their light and their strength.  His body
surged with the power they bestowed upon him.  He would accomplish the tasks
that he had been set down to achieve.  He would do as he had been bid.  He
would not want nor would he ask again for his freedom.  All would be as it
should be.  He prostrated himself beneath the lamp and begged forgiveness for
his selfishness.

“Goodbye, brother,” the voices called and
disappeared into the oblivion.

Senya rose slowly to his feet and dusted
himself off.  He would start here.  He scanned the decrepit ruins of the
building once again and then raised his hands.  He willed the dust to form into
the stained glass panes that had once filled this room with multi-colored
light.  He willed water to rain down upon the walls and floors and wash away
the remnants of insects and cobwebs and to polish the floors until the smooth
granite stones glowed with lustre.  He willed the holes in the roof to close
and clay tiles to form in the ridges where they had gone missing.  Lastly, he
willed the sacred lamp to shine again and he called upon the flame within it to
burn forever more.  When that was accomplished, he held up his wrist and
brought forth his knife to consecrate the sacred Temple with his blood.  His
cell rang, interrupting him.  He sent the knife away and reached in his back
pocket for his phone.

“Hi!” his wife’s voice called.  “Where are
you?  Are you still at the office?”

“No,” he replied softly.

“Ok.  Are you coming home soon?  I’m
leaving the Landbase right now.  I was just wondering what you felt like for
dinner.  Shall I pick up something or do you want to go out?”

“I don’t want to go out,” he whispered,
leaving the cathedral.  “I want to stay home.”

“Ok, I guess I’ll figure out something. 
Why are you whispering?  Did I interrupt a meeting?”

“No.  My meeting is over,” he replied,
swinging shut and then locking the newly created door.  “I will come home now
too.”

“Good,” she said.  “I’ve missed you all
day.  Love you!”

“I love you,” Senya replied as the call
disconnected.  He held the cell in the palm of his hand for a moment, as he
turned back to the Temple which glowed in the twilight of the coming evening. 
He could feel the warmth of the sun reflecting off the newly clean granite
walls.  He would consecrate it another time.  His brothers were right, he was
too attached to his mortal being.  He was too happy in this life, too in love
with his wife.  Though he said he would not want, he still did.

“Let me be free,” he whispered.  “If only
for a little while, please let me be free.”