Starbound: A Starstruck Novel (40 page)

Despite my anxiety over what lay ahead, my heart swelled and my eyes prickled with unshed tears of gratitude that I could inspire such a display of emotion from these people.
My
people. People only I could protect.
 

Touching the control that switched my window from tinted to transparent, I smiled and waved at the crowds as we slowly made our way toward the Palace. The people responded, waving back frantically and chattering excitedly to each other. For the first time ever, I felt like maybe I could get used to this kind of rock-star treatment.

Assuming, of course, that I could keep every last one of us from being buried under a gazillion tons of rubble the day after tomorrow.
 

Don’t lose sight of the goal,
I told myself firmly before the adulation could go to my head. Then we turned the last corner and I gasped in wonder. All thoughts of rock-star-ness and even my goal vanished. Up close, the Royal Palace was even more splendiferous, more breathtaking, than I’d imagined, its pink crystal facade and fantastical spires sparkling like diamonds in the faux sunlight. No wonder this image had stuck in my infant brain when nothing else had, spawning the dreams and fantasies of my childhood.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Molly murmured. “I’d forgotten…I haven’t seen it since I was little.”

“Spectacular.” I stared like I’d never drink it in deeply enough as it filled my whole field of vision, more and more exquisite details becoming visible. To think I’d actually lived here when I was a baby…that I might live here again! Suddenly the idea of staying on Mars didn’t seem
completely
terrible—as long as I could have Rigel with me.

Just like at the guest house, a previously invisible door appeared at the bottom of the castle and we drove down a long, winding tunnel that opened into an underground parking lot many times larger than our one in Tullymayne. A man and a woman in matching uniforms greeted the car with synchronized bows, fists over hearts. The man opened the car doors and, at some silent signal, two other men appeared to whisk our bags into a lift. The woman bowed again, this time specifically to me.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to welcome you back to the Royal Palace, Excellency! I am Sheila, head housekeeper, and this is Powell, head butler. If you will come this way, I will show you to the Royal chambers.” She led us to a separate elevator, this one with crystal and gold detailing.
 

“The Interim Governor sent word that your official Accession might occur as early as this afternoon, but surely you would prefer to settle in for a few days before taking on official duties?”

What I might prefer was irrelevant. “Thank you, Sheila, but no, any time after lunch will be fine.”

If she was startled, she hid it well. Leading us through an enormous, glittering reception hall, then down an opulently paneled and carpeted passage, Sheila indicated a hallway on the right. “Your Consort and his father can lodge in the Royal family quarters. The Sovereign’s apartments are this way.”

Motioning for Molly and Cormac to follow her, I hung back for a moment, putting a hand on Sean’s arm. “You haven’t said a word since we reached Thiaraway,” I murmured, so softly even his dad couldn’t hear. “What’s wrong?”

He shrugged. “Just…wondering how long before you make them bring Rigel here.”

Conscious of Mr. O watching us curiously from a few paces away, I managed not to frown. “You get why I have to, don’t you, Sean? If having him here can help me—”

“Yeah. I guess. Just…don’t forget what really matters, okay?”

Sean’s mention of Rigel made me long for him so fiercely, it was a physical pain in my chest. Unable to answer, I just nodded to Sean, then hurried after the others, already waiting in front of a set of ornate double doors.

“Sorry! You could have gone on in.”

“Only you can open these doors, Excellency,” Sheila corrected me. “They are keyed to the Royal Sovereign bloodline. If you’ll place your palm here?” She indicated a smooth spot in the center of the right-hand door.

At my touch, the doors silently parted in the middle, sliding back into the walls to reveal a big room furnished in muted shades of purple and gold with deeply upholstered chairs and sofas, highly polished tables and crystalline sculptures everywhere. It was gorgeous, the very height of decadence.

“If only I can open the door, does that mean no one’s been in here since…since my grandfather died?” I asked. “Faxon didn’t use these quarters?”

“There is a service entrance, used by trusted staff for cleaning and maintenance, which your Handmaid and Bodyguard will also be able to use. Faxon—” Sheila primmed her lips as she said his name— “did insist on using these apartments at first, via that entrance, but soon moved to other quarters, claiming they were more comfortable. Certain amenities, such as the hot-water shower, bedroom and office vidscreens, and various storage vaults are only usable by those of the ruling bloodline,” she clarified in response to my puzzled expression.

“Ah.” The poetic justice made me smile.
 

As Sheila proceeded to give me a tour of my new digs, I felt increasingly overwhelmed. Every place I’d stayed since leaving Jewel had been bigger and more luxurious than the last, but this put all the others to shame. The Royal Apartments consisted of
twelve
rooms, including private bedrooms for Molly, Cormac and at least three other attendants, a nursery, two offices, one for me and one for my eventual Consort, a “private” dining chamber for twelve, two parlors and of course my own absurdly opulent bedroom. Not to mention half a dozen cupboards and safes that only I could open and enough closet space for a good-sized village.

Every room had its own color scheme, but none of them clashed. Some of the walls, like in my big office/parlor, were covered in what I first took to be patterned silk, but which turned out to be non-reflective metal sheets studded with decorative crystals.
 

“You can make and receive calls on any vidscreen.” Sheila indicated the largest one, back in the first room we’d entered. “Various security settings are available on each, though you will likely want an aide to screen most incoming calls.”

I nodded, remembering what Kernan had said when he gave me my omni—which was what I’d still use for
really
private communication, like with Rigel or Eric. If only they’d communicate!

“Shall I leave you now?” Sheila broke into my thoughts. “I trust your Handmaid is familiar enough with the standard amenities to assist with anything you might need.”

“Oh! Of course. I’m sure you have lots to do. Thank you, Sheila. We’ll have lunch with the others in half an hour, if that’s okay?”

“Certainly. You can call up a map of the Palace on a vidscreen or simply follow the blue line to the main dining room.” With another bow, she left us.

Puzzled, I glanced at Molly. “Blue line?”

“Yeah, most of the big government buildings have a guidance system like that. Makes it super easy to find the office or exhibit or whatever it is you’re looking for.”

“Oh. Cool.” I looked forward to trying it. But first, I had calls to make, one official, one not. “I’ll, um, be out in a few minutes.” I headed into my ridiculously fabulous bedroom and closed the door.

I’d never operated a vidscreen myself, but I’d seen the others do it enough times that it only took me a moment to figure out how to synch my omni with the one in my room, then bring up the little holographic pad to control it. I tapped the “vidphone” option and the vidscreen lit up, showing an attractive garden screen saver.

“Morag Teague, please.”
 

Almost immediately, the garden scene was replaced by the face of Rigel’s grandmother, her background surroundings blurred out—something I’d learned most people did by default when answering calls. Her expression was more pleasant than I’d ever seen it, but as soon as she spoke, I realized it was a recording.

“This is Morag Teague, Director of Sub-cellular Research. I am unavailable at the moment, but if you will leave a message, I will return your call at my earliest convenience. Thank you.”

I found the holo-button to record a message and touched it. “Morag, I would like Rigel to call me or, better, come to the Royal Palace as soon as possible.” I hesitated, wondering if I should make it a Royal order or something, but just concluded with, “Thank you.”
 

She had to know I’d been Acclaimed, so I was pretty sure she’d have no choice but to do what I asked. With any luck, she’d have Rigel here by the end of the day. My spirits lifting at the prospect, I next used my omni to call Eric.
 

Unfortunately it went to voice mail yet again, which effectively re-dampened my spirits. Without Eric’s help, I had no clue how to operate or even
find
the Grentl device.
 

After freshening up in a bathroom bigger than my whole room back home, I rejoined Molly and Cormac, trying to smooth my expression so they wouldn’t pick up on my anxiety. “Let’s go get some lunch,” I suggested as brightly as I could.

“Dining room,” Molly said clearly as we stepped into the hallway. Sure enough, a faintly glowing blue line appeared on the floor ahead of us.

“Cool!” I breathed, momentarily distracted from my worries about Rigel and Eric. Once, as we followed the line, I stepped right on it to see what would happen. Nothing. Glancing back, I saw it had disappeared behind us. How did it
know?
Some kind of sophisticated sensors, I guessed. The line itself was either embedded in the floor or holographic—I couldn’t tell which.

We followed the blue line around a dizzying number of turns and through half a dozen doorways, then suddenly emerged into a long, high-ceilinged room hung with six crystal chandeliers along the length of the polished black stone table that ran down the center of the room.

“Whoa. Overkill much?” I muttered, staring at the long, long table and three dozen or more chairs set along the sides. At the near end, I saw three places set for a meal, but no food yet. “This
can’t
be the only dining room?”
 

“There are several,” Cormac responded. “But as you didn’t specify, we were directed to the main state dining room, the default for visiting guests. The housekeeper clearly anticipated this, as they seem prepared to serve you here.”

I glanced at the table again. “We need two more place settings, though. No, Cormac, you two are still going to sit, since it’s just us. I promise to let you do the stand-behind thing for state functions, okay?”

“Very well.” He had stopped protesting my insistence on this while in Tullymayne, but he still looked uncomfortable with it. Tough.
 

Mr. O and Sean joined us then, followed immediately by two women in staff uniforms carrying covered dishes. The older one bowed to me.

“Excellency. I am Mada, head cook. I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a selection of the more popular luncheon dishes rather than delay your meal by having you specify.”

“Hello, Mada, and thank you. But I need places set for my Bodyguard and Handmaid. Yes,” I said quickly when she frowned and opened her mouth, “I know it’s not customary, but it is my preference when dining with close friends.”

She bowed again and flicked a glance at the younger woman, who instantly whisked dishes and silverware out of the long sideboard by the door and set places for Cormac and Molly. We all sat, Sean on my left, as always.

After asking me how I liked my apartments, Mr. O’Gara proceeded to carry most of the conversation, going over the details of my impending Accession and Installation, along with everything else lined up for this afternoon and evening.
 

I had a hard time paying attention, my mind flitting back and forth between eagerness to see Rigel and worry about Eric’s continued silence. I really needed to talk to Mr. O about what we’d do if I couldn’t contact Eric, but couldn’t think how, with Palace staff within earshot.
 

I’d meant to let Mada know which of the gazillion “samples” were my favorites, hating the thought of so much wasted food. But when lunch was over, I realized I’d mechanically eaten everything that appeared on my plate without even noticing what it was. As soon as we rose from the table, I turned to Mr. O’Gara.
 

“So when can we talk about the, um, important stuff? I still haven’t—”

His eyes flicked to the still-hovering staff. “Soon. First, the forms must be observed, beginning with your formal Accession and the Passing of the Scepter.” He glanced at Molly, who nodded. “We should have time to talk after the Royal Reception.”

“But—”

“I know. But now is not the time. Try to relax for a few minutes before your Accession. If you can.”

Back in my quarters, I retreated to my bedroom with the excuse that I needed a shower. Which I did, but first I tried yet again to contact Eric. When he still didn’t answer, I left an encrypted message, something he’d
claimed
I wouldn’t need to do, because he’d supposedly have his omni on him at all times. The fact that he didn’t was starting to scare me.
 

“Eric, I don’t know where you are or what’s going on, but in case you somehow missed it, I was Acclaimed this morning. I’m finally here at the Royal Palace, where you said I need to be, but there’s still a lot I don’t know about that, um, thing I need to do. So if you can
please
call me or, even better, come to the Palace, I would really,
really
appreciate it. Thanks.”

I glanced at my vidscreen then and saw the little message light flashing. Rigel? I fumbled with the controls, I was so eager to bring up the message screen.
Seven
messages were showing. I recognized the names of two reporters and a government official…and Morag Teague. Adding “find an aide to screen calls” to my growing mental to-do list, I tapped her name.

Her image appeared, then bowed to me, though I thought her expression looked wary. “Allow me to congratulate you on your Acclamation, Excellency. Unfortunately, Rigel is undergoing necessary therapy today but I will pass along your message as soon as I speak with him again.” She bowed again and my screen reverted to the garden scene.