"No one knows where I am. I hid my trail." She shook her head. "Another ship may not put in here for months, maybe even longer. The port has no link to my people."

"I will take care of you."

"And who will protect you when my son finds us?"

"What do you mean?"

She spoke dryly. "He avenges first and asks questions later."

That didn't sound promising. "I will make offerings to Valdor and Aldan."

She sighed. "I wish it were that easy."

"Roca, we will make it work out."

She cupped his cheeks with her strange hands, her fingers so slender and delicate, her "thumb" to the side. Her palms felt warm against his cold skin. "You are a wonder."

"It does not trouble you, what you saw yesterday?" He made himself ask the question he had been avoiding. "The attack?"

"It troubles me greatly. The longer your condition goes untreated the worse it could become." She considered him. "Do you know what triggers the seizures?"

"I am unsure what you mean."

"What causes an attack?"

That was easy. "Stress. Tension."

Mischief flickered in her face. "Then we must make sure you are happy, hmmm?"

Eldri grinned. "I like your healing advice." He brought his lips to hers and showed her just how much.

But as much as he rejoiced at having her with him, foreboding plagued him. His time with Roca was a fragile dream that could soon shatter.

The web shimmered.

Humanity knew it by many names: Kyle web, psiberweb, Kyle s.p.a.ce network, other ever more abstruse designations. Kurj experienced it as a lattice extending in all directions, awesome in its central regions, where its nodes reached their greatest numbers and concentration, but fragmented near its edges.

His command chair on the Orbiter served as a portal into Kyle s.p.a.ce. His body remained in the chair, but his mind occupied another universe, one defined by thought rather than position or time. The vertices of the lattice provided doorways to and from real s.p.a.ce. Their proximity to one another had little correspondence to the location of the telepathic operators, or telops, using them; instead, the more similar the thoughts of the telops, the closer their vertices in Kyle s.p.a.ce.

Any telepath with sufficient training could become a telop. They could use the web, but they could neither build nor maintain it; such functions required a more powerful mind than almost any telops could claim. As a Ruby psion, Kurj did have the strength, but he had no access to the power link that created the web. He chafed at its denial: control the web and he would control an empire. The a.s.sembly claimed it ruled Skolia, but he knew better.

His grandmother, Lahaylia, had created the web using an ancient Lock, her mind acting as its Key. She had maintained the web on her own for decades, struggling as it grew larger and more unwieldy. No other choice existed; without the web, her fledgling empire would have fallen before it ever had a chance to rise.

Then she had found Jarac. No one had known what would happen if he became a second Key. What little they had deciphered of the ancient glyphs in the Locks suggested that joining two Ruby psions into a power link would overload it and kill them both. But Lahaylia had reached her limit. She needed help or her empire would collapse. So Jarac joined her- And so he survived. Together they formed the link that powered the web. The Dyad.

Jarac had taken command of the military, becoming Imperator. The job could only be done well, to its full extent, by someone with access to the power link that allowed communication across the stars; as Imperator, Jarac could spread his mind throughout the far-flung reaches of his interstellar military forces.

Thus two Keys ruled the Skolian Imperialate: Pharaoh and Imperator.

Lahaylia and Jarac had very different minds. They existed together in the Dyad without interfering. Kurj desired to become a third mind in that link, but he feared the consequences to his grandparents. He and Jarac were too alike. That Jarac fit well with Lahaylia could mean Kurj would, too, but it might also be that minds as similar as his and Jarac's couldn't occupy the link at the same time. Or the power surge from adding a third Ruby psion might overload the link and short-circuit the web. At times like this, when Kurj was deep within the lattice, becoming part of it, his drive to harness its power tormented him. He struggled to rein in his ambition, aware that it could endanger his grandparents, two of the very few people he could admit he loved.

Now he searched, haunted by knowing that his resolve to control his mother's votes in the a.s.sembly had made her vanish. He skimmed the lattice, looking for a sign. Any sign. Echoes of her visit to Irendela bounced everywhere, but then her trail became strange. Every time his spy network found a lead, it faded away. She had disguised her escape too well.

Today he repeated procedures he and his people had tried many times before. He hunted for back doors she might have used to slip through his spy network. He traced her finances, but found no record of her travel. A search on Cya Liessa produced millions of references to her dancing. Too many people adored her. He couldn't wade through it all. He sent thought-spiders to collate the data, attaching them to an outer sh.e.l.l of his mind as he browsed Kyle s.p.a.ce. His node sifted through the data and listed references in order of their relevance to her recent activities. It all looked useless, but Kurj tagged a few comments for review later.

A gold ball approached him. Kurj paused, waiting within a lattice cell.

His grandfather's thought reverberated:Kurj.

His answer rumbled:Grandfather.

The a.s.sembly begins.The gold ball spun away, into the web.

So it was time. Roca had to be hiding, waiting for this moment. He had his EI spiders on alert throughout the web, ready to stop her if she tried to attend the a.s.sembly session through Kyle s.p.a.ce. He also had human operatives in every starport on Parthonia, the world where the a.s.sembly met, and he had posted agents in the session hall itself. If she came, he would catch her.

And if she didn't come?

No, it wasn't possible. She would be there.

As Kurj moved through the lattice, it grew rich and complex, with so many nodes he could no longer distinguish them individually. He had reached the systems that networked Parthonia, the capital world of Skolia. He thought of the a.s.sembly session and one node swelled in size.

A large amphitheater formed around Kurj. He was attending as a simulacrum, with his body still on the Orbiter. Projecting his image into the a.s.sembly, he appeared behind a console, what they called a "bench," though it was actually a virtual reality workstation. With his brain linked into its system, he would experience the session as if he were actually here. He could even smell the air and brush his hand across the bench where his simulacrum formed.

People overflowed the amphitheater. The controlled pandemonium of a.s.sembly sessions always struck Kurj as inefficient. Tier after tier of seats ringed the central area, and above the tiers, balconies held yet more people. They filled every seat, including VR benches such as where Kurj sat, high in a balcony. It all ringed a dais that could rise or descend according to where a speaker wished to address the audience.

Mechanical arms on every level also made it possible for speakers to move to the center of the amphitheater to address the a.s.sembled representatives.

Kurj found no trace of Roca. If she revealed herself on the web, his people could track her signal. They would let him know immediately. To attend the a.s.sembly in person, her ship would have to land on Parthonia. It would be prohibitively difficult for most people to evade his on-planet security, but if anyone could manage such a feat, it was Roca.

She hadn't yet arrived.

The speeches were interminable, divided about equally between supporters and opponents of the invasion. Kurj had sent his best J-Force officers to speak, and they presented their case well. Platinum was crucial to modern technology. Although nan.o.bots could construct Bose-Einstein platinum subst.i.tutes, the process was extraordinarily time-consuming and expensive. Mining proved easier, and the Platinum Sectors abounded with ore-rich asteroids. Skolia had long challenged Eube's claim to that region, a dispute that had heated as the need for rarer metals grew. Skolia's forces had to take action now to reclaim its asteroids, before the Traders strengthened their position even more.

When the speeches finally ended, the a.s.sembly prepared for the ballot. The number of votes held by each delegate depended on the size of the population that had elected them and their status within the a.s.sembly. The First Councilor, Skolia's leader, had the largest bloc. The next largest went to Councilors of the Inner Circle: Stars, Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Finance, Judiciary, Life, Planetary Development, Domestic Affairs, Nature, and Protocol. Ten years ago, Roca had won election as a delegate for Parthonia. She had risen in the ranks of the a.s.sembly until two years ago she had attained the coveted position of Foreign Affairs Councilor.

The Ruby Dynasty and House of Majda had the only nonelected positions with significant voting blocs.

They inherited their seats rather than winning them through election, a remnant of that ancient time when the dynasty ruled. Every n.o.ble House claimed votes, but only the Ruby Dynasty and Majda carried blocs large enough to affect most tallies. The Ruby Pharaoh and Imperator each held almost as many votes as members of the Inner Circle, and Roca, Kurj, and Dyhianna had smaller blocs a.s.sociated with their t.i.tles.

When Roca's votes as a Ruby heir were added to those she held as the Foreign Affairs Councilor, she wielded one of the largest blocs in the entire a.s.sembly.

She still hadn't arrived.

Kurj leaned forward when the Councilor of Protocol called the vote. As the ballot progressed, the tally showed on a holoscreen above the podium. Kurj didn't like the numbers. The vote against the invasion was higher than he expected, well over fifty percent. When Protocol called his aunt Dehya, his mother's scholarly sister, she voted against the invasion, a disappointing but not unexpected development. Kurj voted for the invasion, canceling her bloc but doing nothing to shift the balance in his favor.

Then Protocol called Roca's vote.

Kurj stood behind his console, knowing he appeared solid and huge. A red light on its front provided the only indication that he was present as a holographic simulacrum. His voice rumbled throughout the amphitheater, amplified by the console audio. "In her absence, Councilor Roca has authorized me to cast her votes."

A clerk at a console on the dais spoke into her comm. "Proxy choice verified."

Protocol addressed Kurj. "What is her vote?"

He spoke clearly. "All in support of the invasion."

A tumult broke out, voices everywhere raised in disbelief. Roca's preference for peaceful resolution was well known. The First Councilor was standing by the podium on the dais, a tall, lanky man with dark hair.

He opened his mouth with undisguised shock, and for an instant Kurj thought he would protest. Then he closed his mouth in an angry line. No changes could be made; the vote was final.

Kurj stood, patient.

"Your vote is recorded," Protocol said. She sounded stunned.

With a nod, Kurj resumed his seat. The balance of the tally moved solidly in favor of invasion.

"Jarac Skolia, Imperator of Skolia," the moderator said.

Kurj's grandfather stood, towering behind his VR bench just as Kurj had behind his. Seeing him, a giant of gold metal, gave Kurj an idea of how imposing a presence he made himself. Jarac looked around the amphitheater, his gaze sweeping the tiers as if that alone could press everyone into their seats. When it reached Kurj, Jarac stared at his grandson for a long, hard moment. It was one of the first times in Kurj's life that Jarac had looked at him with his inner eyelids closed.

Then the Imperator spoke, his words rolling out. "I cast all votes against."

Once again startled voices arose in the amphitheater, a wave of sound. Few people expected the Imperator to goagainstthe vote when so many of his top officers-indeed, his own grandson and daughter-went in favor of invasion.

Protocol cleared her voice. "Your vote is recorded." As Jarac took his seat, the tally moved toward a balance, though it was still slightly in favor of invasion.

Protocol turned to Lahaylia. "The Ruby Pharaoh of Skolia."

Lahaylia rose to her feet, regal and tall, her hair piled high on her head. The amphitheater became silent.

Kurj could see people leaning forward in their seats to better see and hear their legendary ruler. She spoke in a clear, resonant voice. "All in favor."

The rumbles in the amphitheater resumed, though with less agitation this time. The tally swung solidly in favor of invasion.

Protocol called for the last voter, the First Councilor, the leader of the a.s.sembly, the government, and all Skolia. He stepped up to the podium and turned slowly in a circle as the dais rose high in the center of the amphitheater. Looking out over the a.s.sembled representatives, he spoke in a ringing voice. "I cast all my votes against."

Kurj inhaled sharply as the tally changed, careening back in favor of those who opposed the invasion.

He didn't breathe as the numbers changed.

Then it was finished. The tally was done.

By a mere two votes, the a.s.sembly had voted to invade Eube.

Kurj had won.

He also knew, without doubt, that he had lost far more than he gained-for Roca had never arrived.

10.

The Price of Miracles.

The days pa.s.sed with bittersweet pleasure while Roca waited for the snow to clear. She and Eldri spent their time together. He showed her Windward, an ancient castle as cold and drafty as it was beautiful, but filled with the warmth of the people who lived there.

Eldri had no more convulsions, but several times Roca felt him blank out. He would stare into s.p.a.ce, then come back to himself, disoriented, with no memory of what had happened. It frightened her. Had he received treatments as a young child, his condition probably could have been controlled, even cured. But the convulsions had apparently grown worse over the years as he suffered the long-term effects of repeated, severe, and at times continuous seizures.

"Come on," he told her on the third morning. "See the Reed."

"The Reed?" She laughed as he pulled her with him, running down a hall on the second floor of Windward. They sped around a corner-and barreled into a man whose arms were piled high with blue sheets. Laundry went flying, and Roca and Eldri jumped back while the fellow swore, his voice chiming on each cuss word.

Mortified, Roca lunged for the sheets. Eldri went for them at the same time and they banged their heads.

The man was laughing now, the lines around his eyes crinkling. Eldri glared at him, but as a youth would scowl at an elder who found him amusing rather than as a sovereign to one of his subjects.

After Eldri and Roca untangled themselves, they helped the man pick up the laundry. He and Eldri chatted, their voices rising and falling in musical cadences, their emotions trickling past Roca's barriers.

Eldri enjoyed the fellow's company, having known him since childhood. The older man was glad to see him, gratified even, though Roca couldn't tell why.

Eventually she and Eldri continued on their way, at a more sedate pace. Roca took his hand. "You surprised him."

He intertwined his fingers with hers. "I suppose it is odd for people to see me dash about. Usually I stay in seclusion."

"Because of the convulsions?"

He nodded, his face pensive. Then, suddenly, he grinned. "Look, Roca!" He pulled her into a recessed stone archway. The door within it opened into a circular chamber only a few paces wide.

Roca walked inside. The stone room contained nothing, and its unadorned walls were unnaturally smooth. "What is it?"

"A temple for Jaliece Quar." Eldri came up next to her. "G.o.ddess of the Reeds."

"Ah, I see." She craned back her head. "It is a reed." The chamber rose through many levels of the castle, up into the west tower. "Actually, I think it is a transport tube."

"Transport?"

She turned to him. "You know that cylinder in your room where you store your clothes?" When he nodded, she said, "Haven't you ever thought it inconvenient?"

He blinked. "Well, no."

"It would be easier to hang clothes from a pole."

"Whatever for?"