Court of Magickers by Novae Caelum

Author:Novae Caelum
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Robot Dinosaur Press

32

CAPITAL POLITICS

My general, my prince. Shouldn’t we wait to go to war until we know there will actually be one?

OLUN SHIRALL IN THE VID DRAMA NOVA HEARTS, SEASON 9, EPISODE 8, “A WALK IN SURFACE PARK”

Rhys followed the captain silently to her office behind the bridge, their head spinning. What had any of that meant? There was an ominous feeling in their gut, amplified from the unease they’d been feeling about the Kidaa for months now.

Why had the Kidaa wanted to speak with Rhys specifically? How by all the worlds had the Kidaa known who they were, or that they were connected to the Truthspoken? Or even that they were on this specific ship? That—that was what was eating at them most urgently.

The captain didn’t wait for the hatch automatics to shut it, but grabbed the manual handle and slammed it into place.

Rhys jumped.

“Are you Truthspoken?” the captain asked, spinning to face them.

“What? No—”

“Because the Kidaa seemed to think you are—‘one of the three’ they said. I can’t think of any other prominent ‘three’ they’d specifically request to speak to—they always and only speak to the ship’s captain.”

Rhys was reading signs of panic around her—Adeius, she was losing her grip.

Rattled as they themself were, Rhys calmed out their features, made their body language absolutely unassuming.

“I’m not, Captain. I was raised around the Truthspoken, I know evaku. I know a lot about Change—I couldn’t help but learn with my siblings—but I don’t know how to Change. I’m not Truthspoken.”

“Will you swear that by Adeius, or so help me, should I haul Moratu in here and have her read you?”

“She’s already read me. She knows who I am. I’m not—”

The captain waved them off and seemed to deflate. She braced herself on the bulkhead beside the hatch, and this moment of vulnerability was almost more alarming than what had just happened with the Kidaa.

No, no that bit with the Kidaa was definitely top crazy of the day.

“Captain,” Rhys said, “what do we do with this? Should we go back to Valon?”

The question, the reminder of duty, maybe, seemed to brace her, and she straightened. Smoothed out her uniform, walked behind her desk. But she didn’t sit down, gripping the back of the chair instead.

“That’s standard protocol in an overlap scenario, yes. But you think we should stay?” She shook her head. “And I should be taking protocol advice from a junior lieutenant in ops?”

Rhys sat—if she wasn’t going to, they weren’t about to let their own wobbly legs give out. “Captain, the Kidaa wanted to talk to me. I don’t know why. I have no idea how they think I’m Truthspoken, even if I was—I’m not—but if it was Arianna or Dressa, they shouldn’t even be able to tell then.” A thought occurred. “Maybe they have senses like Green Magickers? Or technology that does the same thing and can see Truthspoken? Adeius, that would be terrifying. But then, how do they know who the captain is? They’ve always stopped with the captain, no matter if the captain's standing in the center of the bridge or not.

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