The Ruby Dice (52 page)

She met his gaze. "It is the Assembly's right to decide if he may address them. Not yours."

Tikal made an incredulous noise. "Imperator Skolia, you do realize, don't you, that you are asking the Assembly to decide your guilt or innocence? With no preparation?"

"That's right," Kelric said.

Tikal looked from him to Dehya. "Have you both gone mad?"

"He has the right to ask," Dehya repeated, her voice hollow. She looked up at Kelric. "If this is what you truly want."

He nodded, wishing he could tell her more. But he didn't dare. Too much was at stake.

Tikal shook his head. Then he motioned to the dais as if he were inviting Kelric to a guillotine.

As Kelric stepped out of the cup, the guards took positions on the dais that blocked him from Protocol's console. So he stood by the glass podium on the edge. When the robot arm swung away from the platform, only a force net that surrounded the great disk separated him from the chasm of air below.

Dehya was arguing with Tikal in low, heated tones. Kelric knew she was trying to convince him to let Kelric speak before they took the vote. Tikal would never agree. Before her coup, she and Tikal had been allies, even friends. As much as Kelric understood why she hadn't wanted to execute the First Councilor, her decision had left her open to any retaliation he sought against her or the rest of the Ruby Dynasty. Whoever had planned the attempts against Kelric's life didn't have to be in the military. Tikal had the necessary resources.

Bolt, Kelric thought. Are you ready?

I have prepared, Bolt answered. I don't think you can reach the console, however. If you go for it, the guards will shoot before you can do anything.

I know. But I'm right next to the podium.

It doesn't have what you need.

It can launch the emergency protocol.

Do you mean for evacuation?

That's right.

You don't want to evacuate the amphitheater.

No. I don't. But the protocol can link this dais to everyone's console.

The amphitheater techs have probably shut you out of the system.

It's been less than a day since the story broke, Kelric thought. And no one had any idea I would come here. It's also a minor system, not one most people would think of first when closing me out.

Perhaps.

Kelric watched Dehya and Tikal. It doesn't look as if she's making headway.

No. It doesn't.

Let's do it.

He leaned his arm on the podium as if he were resting, except he laid his wrist over a prong in the glass. The prong clicked into his socket through a hole in his gauntlet.

Downloading, Bolt thought.

Throughout the hall, red lights flashed on consoles, indicating the emergency protocol had activated. Kelric could have done without that glaring announcement that he had accessed the system, but at least it meant no one had closed him out.

"Councilor Tikal!" Protocol called. "He's sending out a file!"

"Block it!" Tikal shouted, whirling to face Kelric, his face contorted with anger.

Protocol's hands flew over the console. "Blocked, sir. I caught it in time."

I'm sorry, Bolt thought. I went as fast as I could.

Kelric felt as if his last supporting strut had broken. You did your best.

Tikal stared at Kelric with his fist clenched. "
Why?
Are you plotting the overthrow of your own Assembly? Gods, Kelric, what did they promise you?"

"I wasn't conspiring with Qox," Kelric said. "Let the file out."

"And give you access to every person in this hall?" Tikal asked. "Do you think I'm insane?"

"Kelric, what is it?" Dehya asked.

"It doesn't matter," Tikal said. "You asked for a vote from the Assembly on your guilt, Skolia. You're about to get it."

Kelric spoke angrily. "Was it you who tried to kill me, Barcala?"

"What?" Anger flooded the councilor's face. "You violate a ruling from your own government forbidding you to meet with Qox, you go in secret, you nearly get killed by his secret police, and then you have the gall to accuse
me?
"

"Councilor Tikal," Protocol said. "I have a copy of what he tried to send."

Tikal stared at Kelric, his face hard. "Erase it."

"Sir." Protocol spoke in a strained voice. "I think you better look first."

Tikal was still watching Kelric, but Dehya went to the console and stood by Protocol, reading the screen. Kelric saw the widening of her eyes.

"Gods almighty." Dehya lifted her head. "Barcala,
look
at this."

Tikal didn't move; he continued to stare at Kelric. Then the First Councilor took a deep breath and turned around. He stalked over to Dehya and clenched one fist by his side while he read Protocol's screen.

Comprehension dawned on Tikal's face—and something more, shock or anger, or both. Kelric wasn't certain and he couldn't risk lowering his defenses with so many minds pressing on him. The shock he understood. But he had an ugly sense Tikal would be angry only if he
wanted
Kelric to die, for he was staring at the only evidence that could clear Kelric's name.

Dehya looked up at Tikal. "Let him speak."

"This
has
to be false," Tikal said.

"Check the signatures," Kelric told him. "They're verified by DNA and neural fingerprints. We have records of Qox's from the negotiations ten years ago."

"You could have forged them," Tikal said.

"How?" Kelric demanded. "They're guarded by the best security available to ESComm."

"That's right," Tikal said. "Almost no one alive would have the knowledge, intelligence, and access to break that security. Except the head of ISC." He turned to Dehya. "Or the genius people call the Shadow Pharaoh." He shook his head when anger flashed across her face. "I've known you for decades, Dehya. We may have no proof you collaborated with him, but I don't believe for one second you didn't know about his plans."

"She had nothing to do with it," Kelric said. He had gone to great lengths to make sure nothing linked her to his actions. Tikal might have indisputable cause to remove him from power, but not Dehya.

No hint of the "frail" scholar showed in her face. "You have no proof, Barcala, because none exists. But know this—Imperator Skolia has my full support. Will you deny our people the only chance we've been offered for peace in
five hundred
years just to further your own power?"

Tikal looked more astonished than angry. "I'm not the one who overthrew the government. You damn near put me to death."

"But I didn't."

As they argued, thousands watched. No one could hear them, and during Assembly sessions images of the dais were blurred enough so no one could read the lips of the people there unless they were giving a speech. But anyone could see Dehya and Tikal were in a heated debate.

Tikal took a shuddering breath. Then he swung around with his fists clenched and spoke to Protocol. "Release the file."

Kelric sagged against the podium, and Dehya closed her eyes. As he straightened up, she looked at him, and he saw her shock over the treaty. It was probably one of the few times he had caught her by surprise. That he had brought them a peace agreement didn't mean they would absolve him of guilt. No guarantee existed Tikal would sign the document or that the Assembly would ratify it. But at least they had a chance.

Jaibriol Qox could still change his mind; instead of announcing a treaty, he could claim that one of his providers completed the Triad. If that happened, Kelric had no doubt ISC would execute him. The treaty would look like a lie. Even if he convinced them that Qox had betrayed him, he had still committed treason. And even if Jaibriol never revealed that Kelric had shown him how to use the Triad, ISC would suspect. The worst of it was they would be right—he would have betrayed everyone, his family, ISC, and the Imperialate. Eube would have its Kyle web and Skolia would fall. Only something as monumental as a genuine treaty would ameliorate his defiance of the First Councilor and his secret meeting with the emperor.

The ocean of voices in the amphitheater swelled as delegates received the treaty. Dehya stood with Tikal, both of them reading on Protocol's console while she paged through the file. Glyphs flowed across the screen, gold and black. Kelric waited, his pulse hammering. At first the delegates were quiet, with only a murmur rolling through the hall. As people finished the document, their voices rose, questioning, stunned, astonished.

Kelric steeled himself, for he had always dreaded speaking in front of crowds. Then he touched
send
on the podium. No one stopped him this time. His words went to every console and amplifiers in the hall.

"The treaty you are reading," Kelric said, "was signed by myself and Emperor Qox. For it to go into effect, five more people must sign: the Ruby Pharaoh, First Councilor Tikal, General Barthol Iquar of the Eubian Army, Admiral Erix Muze of the Eubian Fleet, and Corbal Xir, heir to the Carnelian Throne. It must also be ratified by this body." He took a breath. "I have done what I can. What happens now is in your hands."

The noise surged until it felt as if he stood in a maelstrom. Lights flashed all over Protocol's console as delegates demanded a chance to speak. In the midst of the furor, Dehya came to stand with him. Absurdly, the podium was too high. When she touched a panel on its edge, a column rose from the ground. She stepped up on it and spoke into the private comm, so only those on the dais heard. "Transfer the file on Protocol's console to here."

A record of the treaty appeared on the podium.

"End of holofile," Dehya said.

The display changed to the last paragraph, and below it, the signatures of Kelric and Jaibriol. The emergency protocol was still in effect, which meant the display on the podium showed on every console in the amphitheater. Dehya picked up the light-stylus that lay in a groove of the glass.

And she signed the treaty.

The session seemed suddenly distant to Kelric, as if he and Dehya were on a mountain with a jagged range below them. They stood on a precipice. They might plummet down that long drop, but in this one exhilarating moment they had scaled heights no one had believed they could ever surmount.

Dehya smiled at him, her eyes luminous. "So we have." She turned and extended the stylus to Tikal. "First Councilor?"

He stood looking at her. Kelric waited for him to denounce the treaty, to say what it would mean if Jaibriol refused to acknowledge it. Instead, he took the stylus from Dehya. Then he stepped over to the podium and wrote his name under hers.

Kelric's pulse surged. Would it happen? Would Skolia and Eube finally, after more than half a millennium, find peace?

Tikal touched the speaker's panel, and his words rumbled throughout the amphitheater. "We are offered a treaty. It has been signed; the wording is not up for dispute. We must choose a time to vote on ratification."

"We have to do it now," Kelric said in a low voice, just to Tikal and Dehya. "If we're going to ratify it, we need to before Qox's people have a chance to weaken his position."

Tikal considered him. Then he turned to Dehya. "Would you accept a vote now, rather than waiting for the Assembly to discuss the treaty?"

She regarded him steadily. "Yes."

The harsh light of the amphitheater threw Tikal's features into sharp relief. He took a breath, his face creased by strain. Then he touched the panel. As he spoke, his voice rang out through the amphitheater. "The vote will commence immediately. A
yea
accepts the treaty; a
nay
refuses the treaty."

Clamor erupted again, and Protocol's console blazed. Kelric could well imagine the objections; they needed time to digest this extraordinary news. Unfortunately, they had no time, and he hoped anyone who knew the dynamics of Skolia and Eube would understand rather than voting against the treaty.

Protocol spoke into her comm. "Calling the vote." Her words glowed on the podium and came over the audio. She started with the lowest-ranked delegates and went through the roster. Ballot by ballot, the tally appeared on every screen. Vazar Majda stabbed her console when she gave her
aye.
Naaj showed more reserve, but she abstained rather than going against the treaty.

When Protocol called Ragnar Bloodmark, Kelric watched the admiral—and saw the flash of hatred. Ragnar covered it immediately, even as his
abstain
registered on the tally. But a chill spread through Kelric. He knew he would never find proof linking the admiral to the assassination attempts. But he no longer had a doubt who had masterminded them.

When the call came to Roca, she lifted her chin, staring straight at Kelric. Then she smiled, a radiant expression. Her huge bloc registered
aye
on every screen.

No one followed Roca; as signers, Kelric, Dehya, and Tikal couldn't vote. The tally glowed over the hall in bold red letters: 78 percent yea and 22 percent abstain.

"It is done," Tikal said, his voice resonant. "The Skolian Assembly accepts the treaty."

Kelric exhaled, flooded with relief. It was done. But they had only gone half way.

The rest depended on Jaibriol Qox.

Jaibriol kept his bedroom darkened as he stared out a window wall at the city below, Qoxire, capital of his empire. Its lights glistened, high above the thundering waves on the beach.

A door hummed across the room. Footsteps sounded on the deep- piled rug and someone stopped behind him. Jaibriol knew from his guards who had come, and he tensed as he turned around. Corbal stood about ten paces back, watching him, cold and hard. Behind him, on a table, the Quis dice Kelric had given Jaibriol lay in piles, sparkling in the gilded moonlight.

"Have you come to condemn me?" Jaibriol said. "Or bemoan your lost admiration for your emperor?"

"Ten years ago, you walked into my life," Corbal said. "Raw, unsophisticated, idealistic. Lethally innocent." He came over to Jaibriol. "That boy is dead. The man I saw in the meeting tonight—the man who blackmailed his joint commanders and his heir into signing that repellent treaty—is a Highton."