bid us to sit with him. No one, besides the half-dozen or so guards and a handful of servants were in the room. It seemed strange, this giant castle, practically empty from what I’d seen so far.
Probably sensing my curiosity, King Ranox waved his hand about the room. “As you can see, we are but a skeleton crew here. We don’t get many guests I’m afraid.”
I smiled politely but refrained from commenting. When the silence dragged on I decided to say something. “Is there a village nearby? One named Eithur? It’s where my father grew up.” Tigg and I would have liked to go there directly, but being new arrivals and therefore viewed with suspicion, our escort brought us directly to the kingdom. I should have figured as much.
The king smiled immediately. “There is a village by that name. Right on the edge of Malenea and Tasure, the second kingdom. I have been there.”
No doubt keeping an eye on future recruits. “My father said he enjoyed growing up there.” I was being polite. He had enjoyed his earlier years, he’d said. But at the age of fifteen he’d been drafted into Malenea’s army. It’d been a terrible dose of reality and brutality for the starry-eyed young man who’d dreamt of peace and uniting the worlds. Both of my parents had shared the same dream. It’d been what had drawn them to each other.
“What was your father’s name?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Oh boy! Me and my big mouth. Please don’t remember him…please don’t remember him. “Haddon Bain.” My father had served his tenure and—when other Ventillians were making the army their life career—high-tailed it out of here as fast as he could. He’d had grand visions of himself as a scientist and hadn’t been shy about his dreams. Going to university far away on another planet was next on his agenda. Nothing would sway him from his path. His choice wasn’t well received in this military world. He was called a traitor and branded an outcast by some of the men he’d served with. He’d vowed never to return.
And he hadn’t.
“Hmm,” the king pondered. It’d been over twenty-five years since my father had left. Hopefully long enough to be forgotten. “No. I can’t recall the name.”
I kept my relief in check.
Servants began bringing out what I assumed to be the evening meal. The light had been dimming when we arrived, the time here being near evening I assumed. It was hard to keep my days and nights straight, having been on four different planets in the past couple of days. When I had a moment, I’d have to figure out how much time we actually had left before Clay became suspicious. Not that it mattered much, since we weren’t going back.
One of the servants stood before the table with a tray laden with food, which thankfully did not look to be flies. Whatever it was, it appeared more appetizing than the freeze-dried stuff we’d been forced to dine on. Tigg dug in with gusto after a wave of encouragement from the king. I tentatively picked at my own plate, my nervous stomach dampening my appetite. Why was the king being so considerate? I wondered. I knew this place to be a military stronghold, one of the fiercest kingdoms on this planet, and yet the king of Malenea himself was entertaining us. My instincts were telling me that all was not as it appeared to be.
“You said your parents met on Zenet?” the king asked me. “And they were scientists?”
“Yes,” I agreed uneasily.
“Were they working on something specific?” he probed.
Part of me felt he already knew the answer to his question. Damn it! Why had I added that little detail? I seemed to feel the need to jabber on when I was anxious. “They never said.” I met his gaze unflinchingly.
“They’re big on harmony between man and nature on Zenet,” Tigg said, recalling what I’d told him. “They probably worked on stuff like that.”
The king shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we’ll never know.”
“No,” I agreed.
When we
Probably sensing my curiosity, King Ranox waved his hand about the room. “As you can see, we are but a skeleton crew here. We don’t get many guests I’m afraid.”
I smiled politely but refrained from commenting. When the silence dragged on I decided to say something. “Is there a village nearby? One named Eithur? It’s where my father grew up.” Tigg and I would have liked to go there directly, but being new arrivals and therefore viewed with suspicion, our escort brought us directly to the kingdom. I should have figured as much.
The king smiled immediately. “There is a village by that name. Right on the edge of Malenea and Tasure, the second kingdom. I have been there.”
No doubt keeping an eye on future recruits. “My father said he enjoyed growing up there.” I was being polite. He had enjoyed his earlier years, he’d said. But at the age of fifteen he’d been drafted into Malenea’s army. It’d been a terrible dose of reality and brutality for the starry-eyed young man who’d dreamt of peace and uniting the worlds. Both of my parents had shared the same dream. It’d been what had drawn them to each other.
“What was your father’s name?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Oh boy! Me and my big mouth. Please don’t remember him…please don’t remember him. “Haddon Bain.” My father had served his tenure and—when other Ventillians were making the army their life career—high-tailed it out of here as fast as he could. He’d had grand visions of himself as a scientist and hadn’t been shy about his dreams. Going to university far away on another planet was next on his agenda. Nothing would sway him from his path. His choice wasn’t well received in this military world. He was called a traitor and branded an outcast by some of the men he’d served with. He’d vowed never to return.
And he hadn’t.
“Hmm,” the king pondered. It’d been over twenty-five years since my father had left. Hopefully long enough to be forgotten. “No. I can’t recall the name.”
I kept my relief in check.
Servants began bringing out what I assumed to be the evening meal. The light had been dimming when we arrived, the time here being near evening I assumed. It was hard to keep my days and nights straight, having been on four different planets in the past couple of days. When I had a moment, I’d have to figure out how much time we actually had left before Clay became suspicious. Not that it mattered much, since we weren’t going back.
One of the servants stood before the table with a tray laden with food, which thankfully did not look to be flies. Whatever it was, it appeared more appetizing than the freeze-dried stuff we’d been forced to dine on. Tigg dug in with gusto after a wave of encouragement from the king. I tentatively picked at my own plate, my nervous stomach dampening my appetite. Why was the king being so considerate? I wondered. I knew this place to be a military stronghold, one of the fiercest kingdoms on this planet, and yet the king of Malenea himself was entertaining us. My instincts were telling me that all was not as it appeared to be.
“You said your parents met on Zenet?” the king asked me. “And they were scientists?”
“Yes,” I agreed uneasily.
“Were they working on something specific?” he probed.
Part of me felt he already knew the answer to his question. Damn it! Why had I added that little detail? I seemed to feel the need to jabber on when I was anxious. “They never said.” I met his gaze unflinchingly.
“They’re big on harmony between man and nature on Zenet,” Tigg said, recalling what I’d told him. “They probably worked on stuff like that.”
The king shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we’ll never know.”
“No,” I agreed.
When we
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