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Firestorm
Firestorm
Firestorm
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Firestorm

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Life is fire. The fire of passion and the fire of loss. Beautiful fire... and ugly fire. The fire of shame burning through a soul gone astray. And the fire wielded by the hand of a mage.

Kai and Jericho have controlled the Eternal Empire for several years, now. For Jericho, life couldn't be better. He has a home, and he has the constant companionship of the man he loves. But Kai wants more. He longs for the excitement of adventure, the challenge of making a difference.

Nobody saw the firestorm on the horizon. From stability, insanity. Powerful change is coming fast. Can Kai and Jericho survive it?

Firestorm is the sequel to Eternal.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherMarie Brown
Release dateMar 3, 2019
ISBN9780463103449
Firestorm
Author

Marie Brown

"Marie Brown has lived in many locations across the United States, but spends most of her time exploring the realms of imagination. Currently located in Colorado, her brief moments of free time are spent in front of her computer, frequently covered in cats."Blah.Yeah, okay, that's all true. But I'm tired of hiding behind a bland, third-person pseudo-bio, utterly lacking in personality.Hi! I'm Marie Brown, and I write a lot. I self-publish through Smashwords and Amazon because I got tired of getting "well-written, but not our thing" rejection letters. Because, you see, most of my fiction tends to include characters that are either bi or just plain homosexual, and despite increasing acceptance of human sexuality and its many variations across the world, heroes and heroines are still supposed to be straight.Well, mine aren't. So if you're brave, and you don't mind that the main character of a story either isn't interested in sex at all, or is quite likely to hop in bed with someone of the same gender, then give my writings a chance. Come explore my fantasy worlds, or my science fiction worlds, or even spend some time with an occasional random love story set on Earth.And by the way, just this once, I wrote this entire blurb without a cat on my keyboard.

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    Firestorm - Marie Brown

    Book I: Madness

    Ordinary World

    I'll never forget this day.

    Oh, it started out normal enough. Breakfast, Morning Court, the Senate. Same things we've done the last eight years, Kai and I. Long enough for life at the head of the Eternal Empire to become routine, ordinary, just the way things were. But this day changed everything. And when I looked back on it later, I could pinpoint the precise moment.

    The time when life began a disastrous slide into doom.

    And lest you think I'm being melodramatic here, sit back and I'll tell you the story...

    The Senate meeting was, of course, contentious. I sat in my position beside Kai, right at the head of the immense Senate table, glaring at the hundred-eighty or so Senators currently present. The curia felt stifling, which wasn't helping tempers any. Fiery sunlight had the plants on the upper levels cringing away from its beams. The magical cooling systems, efficient though they were, fought a losing battle with the fierce heat pouring in through the upper-level windows. Hongbo, capital city of the Eternal Empire, broiled in the middle of a heat wave, and everybody sensible with the means to do so had gotten the hell out of town.

    Except, of course, for these stubborn, obnoxious Senators. No, they remained here on purpose, just to piss off Kai and me as well. Because, you see, we'd found out the hard way that personal loyalty to a pair of co-Emperors and the Empire in general did not equate to full support of all our plans.

    Take this one, for example. Several years ago, when we'd settled the Iuliani family and their bloody powerful undead, we'd spent close to two years cleaning up the chaos and instability in our Empire left behind by the insurrection, and completed the task of imposing our wills on the entire Empire. From welcoming feys to sending the Shadow-guild assassins scurrying for the Borderlands, we'd done our damnedest to make life in the Eternal Empire peaceful and prosperous for all. Fine. Good. Wonderful, even. But once the Empire stabilized, Kai turned his attention outward, back to the Borderlands we'd left behind. At first, the Senate supported his plans, because they were clearly beneficial to the Empire. Trade deals, treaties defining who could go where, ordinary stuff.

    But not this deal. Kai came up with it a couple years ago. We hammered out the details between us, with the help of our long-time legal advisor Professor Farrad, and brought it to the Senate. Let's fix the Borderlands, the plan proposed. Lots of young people here in the Empire have training in laws, governance, even law enforcement. And they're bored. Even a bureaucracy as big as the two hundred sixty-five world Eternal Empire can't give leadership jobs to everyone. So let them take their enthusiasm and energy out to the untamed Borderlands, plagued by infinitely more messes than hands to clean them. Give them access to deals on material goods, preferred loans, whatever support they need for the first couple years, then gradually back off and let them stand on their own.

    But this reasonable, sensible plan fell flat in the eyes of the Senators. They didn't see much of value in the Borderlands, and certainly no reason to let actual Imperial citizens go right across the border and help those sad fools that lived there.

    Which brought us to today's conflict. Kai re-introduced the proposal one more time a few days ago, and it had caused the usual amount of caterwauling and carrying on all week. Kai was getting tired of it, I could tell. His expression had frozen somewhere between polite attention and a wounded predator's fixed glare. Finally he rose and held up his hand to interrupt the Senator currently pontificating about the terrible nature of the entire plan.

    So that's it, then?

    The Senator looked startled. That's what, my Lord Emperor?

    That's the end of the argument, right? I won't budge, you won't budge, there will never be an agreement. Imperial citizens will never leave the Empire to help our neighbors with the blessing and support of the Senate. Am I right?

    Warily, the Senator nodded. Yes, Emperor Mordechai. The full Senate stands with me. We must keep Imperial talent within the Empire.

    Kai concealed a sigh, but I could see the sadness and disappointment in his eyes when he nodded. I wonder why? It's not like him to concede.

    Very well, then. I will no longer bring up the Borderland aid package. It's no use fighting the same doomed battle over and over again.

    He sat down again, and I could see the heavy disappointment all through him.

    The Senate moved on, taking care of more mundane business, while Kai sat and brooded and I wished I could cheer him up.

    But it's hard to cheer up someone in an overheated Senate chamber. So I waited until the session ended, then tried to distract Kai enough to sneak off with me. We have things to do, yeah, but I hate seeing him like this.

    Not now, Jer. I wondered why the death of his proposal had hit him so hard. He looked thoroughly unhappy. I've got that damn dedication to go to, remember?

    What—oh. The moon thing?

    He nodded. The moon thing. You know I have to go. Are you certain you won't come with me?

    I shook my head. Can't. You know that.

    The moon thing on his schedule is a big ceremony, dedicating a new installation on Handuli's larger moon, Caprice. It consists of a University that encourages both fey and female students, a massive research lab, and a significant sporting complex with its own educational facilities attached. It will teach non-lethal sports, and also a new branch of non-lethal gladiatorial combat scored on skill rather than kills. So it's rather important.

    You really should come with me.

    Kai... I shook my head. Honestly, we went over this all before, remember? You have to go. Because I have to be here to meet with Pietro.

    Let him leave a damned message. That look in his gold-flecked eyes is not encouraging. He's about as stubborn as a two-ton boulder. Then you can come with me, where you belong.

    I already asked him about that, I replied, knowing the patient tone of my voice would annoy the hell out of him, but unable to get rid of it. Remember? In the middle of the night, when he called and woke us up. When we decided that you would do the moon thing, and I'd go hear what's so damn important he needs to see one of us in person. You know Pietro doesn't cry wolf.

    Yeah, I do. He sagged a bit, that defeated note back in his voice. As a measure of his upset, he wrapped his arms around me and laid his head on my shoulder. Startled, I held him, eyes reflexively checking for watchers. Of which there were many. We were on the portico of the Senate curia, overlooking the Forum with its shops and massive columns. It's a beautiful, if roasting hot, day. Of course people were watching.

    But whatever. They don't matter. What matters is that I have Kai here in my arms, and we have to go do separate things, and neither one of us likes being apart. Life's better when you have someone to face it with you, after all.

    It'll be okay, I said into his hair. It's just for a couple hours, right? Enough to pop up to Caprice, cut a ribbon, say something appropriate, and take a tour. We'll be back together in no time.

    He didn't say anything, just raised his head off my shoulder, gave me a burning, intense look, then kissed me.

    Um... okay. Forget about that shocked mother clamping her hand over the eyes of her young son. Just kiss him back, public or no. I haven't seen Kai so publicly upset in years. Maybe a good kiss will help him feel better.

    A long, luxurious time later, Kai released my lips and pulled my head down so he could whisper in my ear.

    Never forget how much I love you, Jericho.

    Then he stepped away, turned towards the Palace airfield, and walked off, straightening his elaborately embroidered sleeveless tunic. Dragons and China roses shimmered in the blazing sunlight, contrasting vibrantly with the caramel coloring of his bare arms. He wore loose pants, made of black silk and cut like ancient hakama. Nobody even bats an eyelash anymore at Kai's crazy outfits, even when their Emperor wears something suspiciously like a long, full skirt. Two Praetorians, easily distinguished by their traditional armored kilts, and four more blandly uniformed legionnaires split off from our everyday herd and followed him, leaving the rest with me.

    I watched him cross the Forum, the sun waking black fire in his long, braided hair. Small, straight-backed, moving with confidence befitting the leader of the seven thousand year old Eternal Empire. Kai, the man I loved so fiercely I'd even stepped into the position of co-Emperor to keep him happy.

    Then I moved on towards the Palace to change into something less conspicuous than a fancy formal robe displaying far too much Imperial purple for comfort in a public setting, although it's lightweight and almost as sleeveless as Kai's tunic. Not that I'd ever be inconspicuous, ever again, not with a pack of guards following me all the time, but I could at least pretend.

    At the Palace Court

    When I arrived at the place Pietro wanted to meet up with me, I forgot all about Kai and his troubles. The Palace Court, it was called. I remember seeing it in the news a while back, when some real manly-man obnoxious gun-toting types shot the place up, trying to teach feys and women a lesson. As in, get the hell back into the shadows you came from, you disgusting homosexuals, and for God's sake, women, put those veils back on and shut up! We'd even given an Imperial grant to the owner to help put the place back together. But I'd never been here before.

    The architecture bordered on mind-blowing. Big. That was my first impression. Very big. Airy, lots of pale sandstone arches and columns, wildly colored mosaics that looked straight out of Old Earth's North African region. And a fountain. Cool, I like fountains.

    The owner of the Palace Court appeared approximately three seconds after I walked through the door. Very impressive. I wonder if she can teleport, like a dragonet? Wouldn't that be a useful skill to have.

    Anyway, the woman showed up nearly instantaneously to welcome me to her establishment. Naomi, if I remember right. Naomi... She's got taste in clothes that could easily rival Kai, and beautiful dark skin. Except... wow, she's got an artificial arm. Wonder how she got that? I glanced down at my own sadly pale hide and sighed. I'm just plain boring, on the ethnic diversity scale.

    ...Selene. Yeah, that's her name, Naomi Selene. Spent her younger, presumably wilder days making a life for herself out in the Borderlands, then returned home shortly after Kai took over here and blew up all the stifling old Imperial tradition.

    This is quite the place you have here, I nodded at the impressive surroundings.

    Thank you, she smiled. Even obviously pleased with the compliment, this Naomi comes across fierce as a lion. Tall and straight-backed, with a gleam in her dark eyes that spoke of complete confidence in herself. I wonder if she could package up some of that confidence, pass it along to other women... I yanked my mind back on track as she spoke again. Now, what brings you here?

    Nice and direct. Good. I'm looking for Pietro Monfort. Is he here yet?

    Her eyes flashed, but she nodded. Indeed. If you'll follow me?

    No titles or ass-kissing from this woman, no way. I grinned at her back as I followed her through the maze of tables to a semi-private alcove. Some people in my position would get pissed at her for insolence. Not me, my ego doesn't need constant stroking. I get enough of that from the sycophantic idiots back at the Palace. I mean courtiers.

    When we got closer, I could see Pietro at a table, with a glass of iced tea. Both he and the tea looked thoroughly mundane and out of place in the exotic surroundings. Just a well put together modern professional, sitting in the middle of a magical fantasy land.

    Pietro, you idiot! Naomi called out, even before we reached the table. Pietro sat his glass down and gave her a mildly curious look.

    What's wrong, Naomi?

    "Do you want to bring all the trouble in all the worlds crashing down on me? What were you thinking, inviting the Caesar here? Without so much as warning me?"

    Pietro shrugged. Sorry, Naomi. But this is a great place for a meeting, you know that.

    Her voice dropped to a much quieter growl. "And I also know that you agreed to keep my part in your activities quiet, not compromise my security. Again."

    If that's your worry, I broke in, although Pietro clearly knew the woman and didn't necessarily need my help dealing with her, I'll just mention out in public that I wanted to see what use you made of Imperial funds.

    She turned to me, and I watched her go from pissed to speculative in the time it took her to draw a breath. That... might serve as adequate cover. Fine, then. Carry on with your doings, I've got preparations to make for the day.

    I slid into a seat at Pietro's table, guards arrayed all around. Two Praetorians with me, the four legionnaires scattered about the big open space, looking nervous. They hate going out in public.

    Sorry about the drama.

    Not a problem. I can't blame her, having me just drop in unannounced. Is it safe to assume she's one of your 'anonymous sources'?

    You know I can't confirm or deny that. Pietro sipped at his tea, then looked around at the sparsely populated dining area. Good thing it's so early in the day, this place's usual clientele are probably still in bed. So. I'm sure you're wondering what made me call you in the middle of the night.

    Yes, I nodded, then noticed he looked like hell. Bloodshot eyes, frazzled hair, the works. Did you even sleep last night?

    Not a bit. I was busy. I'm running on stress and pure caffeine. He gave me a mock-salute with his tea.

    That's not healthy, I observed. He made a face, then gave me a tired smile. Better to get a spell boost, instead.

    Are you offering?

    I didn't answer, just called up a quick little energy boost in my hand. I tossed it at him, a small, sparkly silver ball, and he shivered when it hit. Then he sat up straighter.

    Wow. Thanks. Now, he took a deep breath, the problems.

    Plural? I said lightly, around a sinking feeling.

    Plural. First and most troubling, there's a threat to you two.

    I sat up straighter myself. Explain.

    It's not specific.

    Get on with it already.

    You know there's always the subversive, discontented lunatic fringe. They're not much of a concern, not since the service broke up the three big networks.

    He's being modest. He did most of the work, rooting the secretive bastards out of even the Palace itself. Glycerine, MFA, and Entropy, to give them their proper names. The latter two had such good security the public didn't even suspect their existence. Neither did I, until Pietro presented us with their captured leaders and their shockingly developed plans to disrupt nearly everything Kai and I achieved. That had more than justified keeping the man on as head of the Imperial Clandestine Service.

    But now, that problem with the Legions is back. You know, that leak?

    Of course I know. I was on a bloody unarmed ship when someone attacked it with leaked weaponry and leaked manpower. But I kept back my sharp, sarcastic response, and nodded instead.

    Well, now they've lost some mighty powerful hand-held weaponry.

    "Lost?"

    Yes, he nodded grimly. The grenades are small, but powerful enough to destroy this entire building.

    I glanced around out of sheer reflex, as I already know this is a damn big building.

    How many?

    Half a dozen.

    Well, that sucks. I tried to fake a light, casual attitude. I know it didn't fool Pietro. He knows exactly how I feel about a threat to Kai. I may not be an official bodyguard anymore, but that certainly doesn't mean I've given up guarding my lover's body. Right, then. Powerful weaponry on the loose. What's the other thing?

    You're not going to like it.

    I already don't like it. Spit it out. It's usually not this hard to get you to talk.

    He gave me a tight grin. Fine. It's the Crown Prince.

    What's he up to that's got you worried?

    Did you know he's gone and joined a social club?

    I blinked. What's that got to do with anything?

    Normally, nothing. But he's joined up with a bad crowd.

    Please don't say they're...

    I couldn't say it. But Pietro nodded.

    They're everything you don't want for him. Pro-slavery, anti-woman, homophobes.

    "Son of a bitch! I banged on the table, since I couldn't reach out across the Empire and smack Carolus upside the head. Pietro's tea sloshed. Carolus is on bloody Innisfree, at a University. Supposed to be studying history and governance, not fucking bigotry, hatred, and repression. That rotten bastard! When Kai finds out about this, he'll explode. What does the ungrateful little shit think he's doing?"

    One of the legionnaires coughed. Just that, but it yanked me out of the red, pissed off haze around me and reminded me it's just not done for the co-Emperor to lose his temper in public. Makes people stare.

    Right, then. I forced my voice to come out in a more reasonable tone. Sounds kind of like someone's choking me. That sucks. How long? How bad is it?

    He's been hanging around with one of the club members for months, but he hadn't shown any interest in the group or its views until a few weeks ago. That's when he started letting them court him, enticing him into their clubhouse and events. And... Well. The last report I got was from three days ago, when he was inducted into the club. You don't want to know about the induction ceremony. I'll say it involves degradation of women, and leave it at that.

    My temper kicked up another notch, although I hopefully didn't let it show. How could someone with a bloody twin sister do any such thing? When I get my hands on that kid... I'll have to settle for whatever's left after Kai gets done with him. True, at twenty-five, the kid is legally an adult man and can do whatever the hell he wants. But he's also the Crown Prince, heir of a man on a constant crusade to improve life Empire-wide.

    I took a deep breath and forced myself to let go of some of the anger on the exhale. I may be Caesar now, but I'm still a Master mage, and that's supposed to go with a healthy amount of discipline and self-control. I should remember that, resume acting like a Master, not a pissed off pseudo-father who's learned his not-quite-son is becoming an abominable turd.

    Several breaths later, reasonably calm, I moved on. Not much we can do about that now. Is there anything else?

    Nothing extraordinary.

    Whew. That's a relief. He went over some normal intelligence-type stuff with me, the kind of information he usually sends over the Link in a dry, boring report. It's much more interesting talking about that crap in person. Reading it tends to make my eyes go out of focus and skip words.

    Anyway, we finished up all the business stuff, I asked how things were going with his boyfriend and if he'd gotten a new cat yet, and then we headed out. Just in time, too, as the lunch crowd started to arrive.

    Naomi escorted us to the front entrance, and I sent out a tiny, stealthy seeker to check for listening devices. She had the place shielded, of course, but out in the grand tiled courtyard I found a cluster of eager little camera swarms waiting. Probably every news service on the planet assembled outside while Pietro and I talked, reporters and crews baking in the intense sun.

    Out there, I said quietly to Naomi, and she led the way out into the courtyard as though it were her idea all along.

    It's good to see what you've done with the grant money, I told her, loud and clear enough for the little devices to hear, as we left the shielded area. You've got the place looking wonderful. Thanks for letting us use it for our meeting.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the Praetorians stiffen and his face go pure white. What the hell? He must've gotten bad news. I'd finally discovered the tech that allowed them to—

    The Praetorians and legionnaires snapped into a tight formation, with me and Pietro right in the middle.

    What—

    Threat, one of them snapped. "Move. Now."

    I didn't have a choice. I caught a glimpse of Naomi looking confused, the camera swarms swapping focus quickly, Pietro's concern. Then we were shoved into a run.

    One of the Praetorians whipped out his communicator, snapping orders. Sounded like a call for backup.

    What's—

    The other Praetorian waved an impatient hand, apparently listening to his spell-powered microcom, the device that let Praetorians act as though telepathically connected to each other.

    We reached the air limo, and they shoved me inside like a sack of potatoes.

    You, too, sir, the Praetorian said, as he stuffed Pietro in with me. You are also at risk.

    What is—!

    That time, I actually got two words out before the limo door slammed in my face.

    "What the fuck is going on?" I asked Pietro, as the air limo took off like a bat out of hell. I tried not to think about the half-dozen missing grenades.

    I have no idea. He fished a multi-unit out of his pocket. But maybe I can find out.

    I looked out the window while he fiddled with his device. Guess the Praetorian had made someone hop, we were blasting along with two deadly escorts. Where we'll end up, I have no clue, because we'd already blown well past the Palace. Probably one of the emergency defensive bunkers, if whatever had set off the guards was all this serious. I wonder, have they swept up Kai and squirreled him away somewhere safe? And the kids?

    Oh, dear God, Pietro whispered. I wonder why? He's as atheist as Kai. Who, of course, swears by the Christian God a lot.

    What is it?

    At least he let me get the words out.

    He shook his head, pale, eyes glittering way too much. I felt an icy hand steal up and caress my heart.

    Pietro held out his multi-unit. I took it, ignoring the shiver of apprehension that traveled through me.

    I tried to read it, I really did, but a handful of words jumped out and took hold of my eyes. I couldn't see anything else, just those words.

    ...Emperor... confirmed dead... nothing left... secure Caesar... threat to heirs...

    Boom

    Nothing made sense any more. I felt Pietro take something out of my hand. His multi-unit. That's right.

    Identifying something helped me pull myself together. I felt numb, but not too bad. The report was mistaken. Obviously. Kai's not dead, that's impossible.

    What's wrong, Pietro?

    He had tear streaks on his face. Jericho... what... You saw the news.

    I shook my head. Someone made a mistake, that's all. Kai's fine. He's surrounded by bodyguards, remember?

    Jericho—

    "He's fine, I repeated. Honestly. One of them's a battlemage, I picked him out myself. Only a journeyman, true, but he knows his work. Nothing can possibly happen to Kai."

    Pietro started to say something, then abruptly turned away. Fine. I don't want to argue with him. I'll just laugh, and tease him about this later, when he knows it's all a very bad joke.

    My hands tightened on the soft, rich velvet upholstery of the near obscenely comfortable seat and I looked out the window, ignoring our escort craft. Normally green hills streamed past, now yellow and brown under the ferocious sun. Heat waves more appropriate to a desert shimmered over the landscape.

    I would know if anything happened to Kai. Of course I would. We've been so close for so long, and he's got that little bit of magepower now... Of course I would know. And I certainly don't feel any kind of problem. Not one hint of distress troubled my awareness of him, always there these days, no matter how far apart we are physically.

    I considered calling up a demon to go check, but as usual, shied away from the notion. Ever since meeting Xixiphus, the Otretaab, and accepting him as a person... well, I'd felt more than a little uneasy about summoning demons. Enough so that I've been writing demon-free spellbooks for years now, exploring methods of using magic without placing compulsions on other-planar creatures. Made me real popular with the Mage Guild, that's for sure. Damn near everything they do is based on demon summoning and binding. The Freedmen's Magic Coalition, my own Guild, they couldn't care less if I told them to do magic while performing a one-handed handstand and playing lute with their feet. They'd do it, just because it was me saying they should. But the Mage Guild membership had only grown more fractious over the years, not less. I don't mind. Keeps me on my toes.

    The air limo picked up a couple more escorts. I felt a twinge of worry, looking at the size of the heavily armed craft, sun glinting off the red and gold of the Imperial Legions. Just accents on these badass fighters, the main bodies were a grim and businesslike shade of bluish-grey. Why would they send out real warships for a mistake?

    But whatever, I'll let Kai deal with telling Titus it's ridiculously expensive to let his commanders burn fuel for the big boys on a silly little training exercise. Because that's all this is. Training.

    Kai is fine, damn it.

    The air limo dove into a sun-scorched hillside, a rather scary process to watch. I know it's some kind of electronic illusion making it look like the entrance to the underground bunker isn't there. But it felt utterly freaky, because I couldn't sense the electronic illusion. It looks like we're going to hit hard. This must be how non-mages feel about proper illusions.

    But we didn't crash. Wouldn't that be ironic, though, if a simulated exercise to deal with the death of an Emperor wound up killing off the other one.

    Safe in the hillside, the limo stopped, and Pietro and I got out. Pietro gave me an unhappy look, then took hold of my arm and led me into the bunker, to one of the command offices. I remember these places. I spent time in one back when the threat to Kai was real. White tile everywhere, somewhat claustrophobic feel, and a swarm of Praetorians and legionnaires looking grim as fuck.

    Pietro muttered something and sat down in front of the computer. I started to move away, but he reached back without looking and grabbed me again, still typing with one hand.

    No, Jericho. You're not going away. You have to stay here and watch.

    Watch what?

    This is real, damn it. I had someone there on the scene, and he accessed the surveillance footage immediately, got it to me.

    There's nothing to—

    Enough. Watch.

    I watched.

    A black and white image filled the monitor, crisp and clean, with a high level of detail. Nice. The view stretched down a long, door-lined hallway. Reasonable, since the place is a school.

    A crowd of people entered the hallway. I could see Kai at the head, walking with the newly appointed President of the University. That man has every right to be proud of his new school. And see? There're all six guards. Two Praetorians, checking the environment warily, and four legionnaires, two ahead of the group and two behind.

    See? He's fine. There's nothing wrong.

    "Watch."

    Kai pointed to a door, with a questioning look. The President smiled and nodded. Kai walked to the door, went inside, left the guards outside. A bathroom.

    I grinned, making a bet with myself that he'd be in there longer than necessary, enjoying the precious guard-free moments.

    The explosion caught me completely off-guard. Not so the battlemage, the one I'd chosen myself to watch over Kai when I couldn't. He reacted instantly, threw a fire-proof shield over the group. I could see the two Praetorians, who'd stood flanking the door, rolling on the ground to put out flames. Their uniforms were on fire. The sensory memory of agonizing burns from another explosion made me wince in sympathy.

    Then I looked back at the site of the blast, where little flames danced about on whatever flammable materials they could find, scattered around the edges. Probably toilet paper.

    The rest of the bathroom was gone. Vaporized. The explosion left nothing but a smoking crater. I could see right outside, where the brand new landscaping struggled to take hold on the carefully engineered moon.

    I saw no sign of Kai.

    I think I might have collapsed. Because the next thing I knew I felt the ground digging into my cheek, while hearing distant voices issuing orders through a rushing sound in my ears. I think I hear Pietro telling someone to bring in the Crown Prince. I wonder why? And what the hell am I doing on the ground, anyway? Am I sick?

    I started to get up, stand and face the world like a proper Caesar should. Then I remembered the flash, the flames, the smoking pit where Kai used to be, and everything went limp.

    This isn't an exercise.

    Someone picked me up. Several someones, I think. They carried me off and dropped me into one of the narrow little beds these bunkers came with. And Kai wasn't in it.

    The bathroom exploded again, and this time it wouldn't stop. It was all I could see, all I could hear, just the fury of that firestorm consuming the life of my Kai.

    Fading

    I could hear concerned voices all around me. They didn't know what the hell to do with me. And damn it, I'm not about to help them. I don't want to. I just want to check out for a while, deal with this my own way. I've never lost anyone important to me before, I have to figure out how to process what happened. I have to move beyond the explosion and smoking pit on permanent replay in my head.

    And, well, I don't want to be part of the world while I do.

    Maybe I don't have much choice about that. Because when someone called an ambulance to haul me off to a damned hospital, I couldn't react. My body wouldn't move when I told it to. But I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll just stay here, sink into a deep meditative state, and relive our life together.

    I can do that, you know. Mages have damn good memories. We have to. You don't want to forget a single word—syllable, even—of a spell or incantation. Depending on what you're trying to do, the result could be anything from funny to lethal. So part of our earliest training always focused on learning how to remember everything. There's a process, a trick to doing it, so we're not snowed under with the full weight of our entire lives every day. We can forget things just like anyone else. But what's forgotten isn't gone forever. The trick was damn easy to do, laid flat out like a useless pancake, in a body that won't respond to basic commands.

    So I did it. I initiated the mental process that allowed detailed recall of everything that happened between us. From the moment I first saw Kai more than a decade ago, to that shocking kiss on the portico right before he left forever, I relived it all. Even the bad parts. It wasn't all wine and roses over the years, after all. What I wouldn't give right now to hear him tell me to fuck off...

    Some level of awareness brought me quiet and distant words from a doctor: There's nothing physically wrong with him. Put him somewhere familiar, with someone he trusts. He'll come back when he's ready.

    Smart doctor.

    I continued remembering Kai, ignoring the world around me. I know they moved me, I could feel people heaving my body around. Not sure where I wound up. Didn't care, either. The location felt safe and comfortable. I ignored it. Because I have a decade to relive.

    Part of me noticed when Jasmine arrived. That's fine, I don't mind having Jasmine here. She's one of Kai's daughters, and a mage, a good, solid journeyman. I'd taught her for four years before she went off to the same school I'd gone to. She'd never make Master, but I'd taught her to make the most of her abilities, and never think of herself as second-rate. That meant she was the most effective journeyman around, because she knew her limits, she knew her strengths, and she knew how to use her abilities to the greatest effect. Wish more journeymen were like her, instead of considering themselves inferior to Masters in all ways other than ego.

    And Jasmine knew not to mess with me. She has to know exactly what I'm doing, in fact. I'm sure she'd do the same if she lost her man.

    Eventually, I ran out of memories, and pulled myself reluctantly back into the real world. Jasmine noticed immediately, put down her portable computer, and took my hand.

    Welcome back.

    Thanks. I sat up, discovered in the process that I'm in our bedroom at the manor. Ouch. At least that explains why my surroundings felt comfortingly familiar.

    Good thing you came back.

    What's wrong?

    Carolus will be here soon, they sent something really, really fast to fetch him. And you know he'll want to see you.

    Will he? I am well aware that the bitterness in my voice just wouldn't fly out in public. But Jasmine's nearly as much my daughter as Kai's, and damn it, Carolus and his fucking social club cost Kai's life. Because come on, if I'd been there with him, I would've caught on to the fucking grenade before it exploded. Even if I didn't, I would've gone with him and not be here suffering this damn pain.

    What's wrong, Papa?

    I debated telling her. Should I prejudice her against her brother? Um... Yes. She's a mage, and therefore protected by her status and abilities, but damn it, she's also a woman. A young, beautiful woman, that has never worn a veil or hidden away from the public eye.

    I told her, and her eyes grew as sick as my own.

    That's... disgusting, she said finally. Is there anything we can do?

    Doubtful, I shrugged. I picked myself up out of the bed, noticing that I still wore the same thing I had on when I got the news. My skin and hair are disgustingly greasy. Look, I'm going to clean up a bit, okay? There's not a fucking thing I can do to bring Kai back to life, so I'd better just deal with going on without him.

    Her eyes brightened with tears, and she stood up to give me a hug. Then she took her portable and left me alone.

    Can I face going into the bathroom? Only one way to find out.

    I found something clean to wear. Pants and a plain shirt, damn it. Nothing at all like the nice clothes Kai loved to take off me.

    This is going to be difficult, I can tell.

    I accomplished my self-appointed task by essentially shutting off my brain. From reliving every memory, to shutting out anything at all to do with love. Guess that's my life now.

    Clean, looking nothing like my usual self, I made my way out to the atrium. For the first time in ages, I wished Argent were here. But he'd gone off with Julian when the kid went away to study with the dragons. No surprise, not really, but I sure could use his comforting presence right about now.

    I found Jasmine out in the atrium, talking to Iago, who looked stressed. Surprise, surprise. He'd had so much fun goofing around with...

    What did you just say?

    I interrupted my own thought.

    Oh! My lord Mage!

    Knock it off, Iago, I protested automatically.

    He gave me a brief flicker of smile. My lord. I asked the Princess Jasmine if she thought you would close the house down.

    What?

    I looked around at the beautiful indoor garden and eclectic architecture of our home, suddenly stunned by the realization that I don't know what's in Kai's will. He has one, I know, because I remember the legal staff keeping after him until he made one out. What if I do have to shut the place down? There's no legal tie between us. A chill rippled through me, remembering how he used to want to marry me. If he had, if we'd found a way to do that, I wouldn't worry. But now?

    No legal tie.

    I'd never felt the need for a legal bond between us until now, when it's too late.

    Uh... Not yet. Not yet. Let's keep on as always, until we hear otherwise, got that? And I'll get into town, go settle the legal matters. Now.

    Good idea, Jasmine nodded. I'm going, too.

    Fine. Come on, let's move.

    I could see her start to protest the suddenness, then she changed her mind. Right. No sense waiting.

    She started off towards the detached garage, and I caught up to her in a heartbeat. Bloody hell. Bet I don't have access to the Dart anymore. I may not know my legal status with regards to my own home, but I know for certain I'm no longer Caesar. Because that position ended immediately upon Kai's death.

    I could practically hear his voice, right there in our bedroom, telling me I'd have a little asterisk by my name, indicating that I'm not in the succession. It's got something to do with the way the Imperial succession works: down, never sideways. Sons of the last Emperor can inherit. Sometimes nephews, adopted sons, whatever. Sometimes a brother of the last Emperor, like Kai, because he's still the son of a former Emperor and Manarrion never had a son of his own. But not his much older Uncle Relfon, brother of the man who'd been Emperor years ago. Relfon could have inherited, true, but only if Kai and all his brothers had already been dead when old Emperor Galinas died. But Manarrion took over from Galinas, with all his brothers still alive, and shifted the succession away from Relfon.

    Most important, the situation now: no inheritance for life partners without any kind of legal tie to the Emperor. No Caesars, whose appointment ended with the reign of the Emperor that appointed them. And for whatever reason, we'd never been able to push inheritance through for girls, not at this level. So Caroline, the elder twin by something like ten or eleven minutes, was out. Girls could only inherit normal wealth and businesses, not the entire damn Empire, and only if they'd been born after that wild time when Kai took the throne.

    And girls, of course, are precisely what we have the most of. Four sons. A nephew. And a large herd of daughters and nieces.

    Shitty.

    But Jasmine's still Kai's daughter. As a Princess in the new Empire we built, she had her own escort of legionnaires, and every right to ask for a ride into Hongbo. Maybe they've got a faster vehicle handy than the elegant but slow pleasure craft Kai and I kept for ourselves.

    I certainly didn't expect two quiet, respectful Praetorians to attach themselves to me as we left the manor house. Because as I've already mentioned, I'm nobody now. Just a mage with a borrowed last name.

    Reading

    Astera slipped into the bland basement room quietly, although it hardly mattered. Her siblings, the early arrivals anyway, were too busy being nervous and talking to each other to care. She noticed that Julian was the only boy there and wondered where the other three were.

    Candy spotted her and came to give her a hug. The red-haired mage looked like she'd been crying, based on her puffy eyes.

    Hello, sister, Astera said, pleased that her voice remained steady. She hadn't cried at all today, and only a little yesterday.

    What's going to happen to us?

    Candy, Astera rolled her eyes. Honestly. How am I supposed to know that?

    I don't know. But I don't want to go back!

    She'd been born and raised on one of the outer worlds, in a boring farming community. Yes, places like that were essential for human survival, but that didn't make them any fun for young mages. And now, with their father dead, who would make sure girls got a fair chance at life?

    It'll be fine. Astera wished she could fall apart. She didn't want to go back either. She'd been born on a resort world, true, a very pleasant place, but she really loved Handuli and her overgrown, mostly insane family. But she couldn't fall apart because, despite being the second youngest, she had a reputation to maintain. Sensible, practical, and calm, that was Astera. At least on the surface.

    The missing boys showed up then, all in a group. Carolus, the one all set to become the new Emperor, looked somewhere between smug and defensive. Astera shot him a dirty look, which he ignored. Last time they'd all been together, during the local Sea Fest that always closed out the summer in Oceanside, he'd been acting like a real brat. Whatever that school was teaching him over on Innisfree, it certainly didn't include any kind of good manners.

    What would happen to all the changes their father had made, if Carolus became an intolerant dickhead?

    Nothing she could do about that now. They were here, all of them, to hear the will read.

    The will.

    That legal document that meant her father was really, truly dead, and everything about her beautiful world was about to change.

    Astera caught hold of her emotions before she could tear up again, because she really didn't want to start bawling in front of all her siblings. Jasmine saw her surreptitiously wipe her eyes, and gave her a supportive smile.

    It's going to work out, Astera, she said, with all the confidence of her grown-up years and her abilities as a mage, which ensured she'd have a decent life no matter what.

    Easy for you to say, Astera grumbled at her honey-colored sister, but accepted a hug.

    No way Dad would have screwed us all, not after everything he did to make sure we'd have good lives.

    He's not the one I'm worried about, Astera replied, aiming a significant look at the knot of superior-looking boys.

    She would feel better about this whole mess if Jaz's face hadn't just frozen over like a glacier.

    The lawyer walked in then, disrupting any further conversation. Jericho followed, the man they'd all accepted as their Papa the last eight years, who'd been essential to the new family they'd all been part of. He looked like death warmed over. No surprise there, no matter how weird it had seemed at first to find themselves in a family with a whole bunch of siblings and two dads, every single one of them knew damn good and well Jericho was totally in love with their father.

    Astera shot another worried look at Carolus. She'd been seven years old when she got sucked into this crazy family, he'd been seventeen. Big difference there. He'd had a whole lifetime to grow up, absorbing his adopted father's attitudes. Whereas Astera had just barely begun discovering that she was far more independent-minded than society wanted to accept when a batch of legionnaires had showed up with her aunt Celia and swept her off to Handuli. Her mom had come along for the ride, taking a place in that crazed environment known as the Imperial harem, and never stopped trying to attract the Emperor's eye once more. Never mind that anyone with half a brain could tell that Dad had switched sides and committed totally to Papa Jericho, she still made the attempt on many different occasions.

    Impressive, really, the way the relationship between the two men had survived endless challenges from the women in the harem.

    Thoughts about relationships and the acceptance thereof vanished when the lawyer, Professor Farrad, got busy with the will-reading.

    All right, people. You're all here. Let's start this process...

    Poor Papa, Astera thought, after checking to see how her surviving parent took the unpleasantness. Candy and Jaz sat on either side of him, offering moral support, but Astera didn't want to bet that he even knew the young mages were there. Looks like someone's screwing a knife into his guts.

    Jericho wasn't the only unhappy one. The boys, not including Julian, of course, all seemed thoroughly pissed off that their father had left the vast majority of his fortune to his life partner. Astera couldn't quite figure out why. After all, Dad had made sure that each and every one of his kids got a considerable amount of money, and pointed out that it was exactly how much he'd started out with at sixteen. Obviously, it hadn't hurt him any, so what was their problem?

    Maybe because the money wasn't enough to live on for more than a couple years. Maybe they thought that because Dad had been richer than stink, they shouldn't ever have to work for anything, ever. Not that they likely would, given that Carolus would shortly have access to the full Imperial treasury and an impressive salary, as well. If Carolus didn't give Erasmus and Spartacus cushy jobs with a big salary all out of proportion with their duties, well, Astera didn't know a damn bit of anything about her brother.

    Which might in fact be true, since her eldest brother hadn't been home much. He'd been busy bouncing around the Imperial worlds, supposedly learning about the Empire, the people in it, and how to be a good Emperor.

    Too bad. If he'd been kept at home, maybe he would've become more comfortable around their fey parents.

    Astera stifled an inappropriate snort. They were hardly the only ones uncomfortable around fey people, after all. She'd run into that herself, people that reacted badly to how she dated both girls and boys. Including her own mother, who preferred to remain safely isolated from her daughter in the fluttery, feminine world of the harem, with its focus on social standing, parties, and trying to figure out what would reclaim the Emperor's attentions. Not for much longer, though. The second the re-cast Laurel Crown landed on Carolus's head, the whole lot of women would be out of their cushy, protected harem.

    Astera gave her siblings another look, noticed that Julian was trying damn hard not to cry, then tried to focus her mind on the details of the will and work out what she wanted to do in the future.

    Dad left the manor house to Jericho. Good. That meant she'd likely still have a place to live, since she doubted Papa would boot her or the other kids out of their home. Why would he? Unlike Carolus, who'd likely try to get her and the other girls to stay away from the Palace. Not that he could, because they were all officially acknowledged Imperial Princesses, just like all their aunts. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

    A provision of the will abruptly caught her attention: education. A huge fund was established for education, over and above the amount of cash each kid got. Astera felt a huge amount of stress ease. With those funds available, she could go to any school she chose, get a good education, have some sort of career...

    Thanks, Dad.

    Escape

    Kai settled into the cushy leather seat of the Dart, wishing he'd been able to get Jericho to come along for the ride. But he hadn't. So he sat in the luxurious cabin, alone, discomfort at the disruption of his carefully laid plans making his nerves sizzle, and watched as the Dart ascended rapidly through the atmosphere and followed a curving path to the moon Caprice. It didn't take long, not traveling at half the speed of light. Less than twenty minutes.

    The ceremony itself took longer. Kai didn't pay attention. He had something else on his mind.

    He wondered if Jericho knew. The mage was damn perceptive. Not that he shouldn't be, after a decade of life together. He noticed things. He had likely caught on to how terrible Kai felt about finally giving up on the Borderland reforms.

    But he didn't know the full extent of it, because Kai hadn't told him. No need. He was supposed to be here, damn it!

    During the tour, Kai pretended enthusiasm for the new facility. It really was nice, shiny and new, ready for the most diverse collection of students ever to study together anywhere. Men and women together, with no preference given to gender or sexual orientation. People would get into this University based on merit, nothing else. Applications wouldn't even show names or faces until the student had been accepted. Which, oddly enough, had resulted in a freshman class consisting of sixty-four percent women. That'd show the idiots who still tried to claim women were inferior to men.

    Finally, the tour went down a hallway with the all-important bathroom in it. The one he'd chosen specifically for its outer wall location on the floor plan of the college, and its mighty important windows.

    He managed to shed his guards on the way in. He'd wanted a bathroom for that precise reason. Even the most devoted Praetorian knew to let him pee in peace.

    Kai's hand darted into his pocket. He touched it, the little thing that'd been weighing him down with its presence. The trouble if someone noticed it didn't bear thinking on. Not even an Emperor could get away with carrying something like this around. Now the heavy, smooth cylinder reassured him. He crossed the large, clean, tiled bathroom in a flash, and opened up one of the awkwardly placed but perfectly convenient windows. He jumped up, caught the sill, then looked back at the stalls. Might as well, who knew when he'd see another genuine bathroom.

    He dropped down, used the facilities, then returned to the window. Still fucking high up. But he was in good enough shape to catch the sill again and pull himself up and out. Rather tight fit, yeah, but he made it. Might be a good thing Jer hadn't come. He'd never counted on the window being so small. It'd looked bigger on the floorplans. The whole plan would've been shot to shit if his big mage couldn't fit through the window.

    He reached the outside with a great deal of twisting and quiet swearing. By the time he reached the ground he felt like he'd scraped all the skin off his hands on that damned window sill.

    Kai stood outside the building for a moment, heart racing from the exertion and sheer apprehension, then he took the heavy secret out of his pocket. No surveillance cameras outside, no one to know or see him with an XJ46 micro-grenade in hand, nobody to stop him from activating it, tossing it into the open window, then running like hell.

    The explosion knocked him sprawling, skidding through barely-established grass and gravelly dirt. He struggled back to his feet immediately and ran again, thin air burning his lungs, straight to the edge of the campus, where he'd arranged for someone to conceal the little stealth craft appropriated from a certain storage area he knew about back in Hongbo. Had the man stayed bought and delivered as promised? If not, this whole crack-brained plot was screwed.

    Damn, he wished Jer had blown off Pietro's urgent meeting and come with him. Now he'd have to wonder for a long time whether his partner would ever forgive him for this. Would he even still have a partner?

    The runabout waited right where he'd wanted it, according to the quiet bleep from the device in his hand. Whew. Kai triggered the remote, and the pod shimmered into visibility long enough for him to locate it and climb into it. Then he powered it up under full stealth mode, tried not to look at the empty co-pilot's seat, and sent the thing coasting away from Caprice.

    Even under full stealth, it was a harrowing experience. He had to fly manually, because the local traffic control sent out a lock code to all registered air and spacecraft... that didn't belong to the Imperial clandestine service. His stolen ship didn't respond to any common code, civilian or military, one of the primary reasons he'd chosen it. But with the lock code blanketing everything else, the systems couldn't connect with the nav sat. Which proved, of course, a good thing in the long run, because even a clandestine connection to the nav sat could be found. Nobody, not even the Legions, could track a manual flight.

    Slowly, carefully, Kai maneuvered the stealth pod through the sudden influx of Legion craft and the powerful sensor sweeps. It needed every bit of his skill. One tiny little twitch of his hand, a less than perfectly smooth motion, and there'd be a detectable power surge. Not to mention the ship would show as a distortion if someone had powerful enough scanners. And the Legion light attack craft first on the scene had some truly powerful scanners.

    But apparently they didn't have enough luck to paint the stealth craft with the full force of the scan beam, which would have returned an anomaly. Because no one spotted it. Not one beam hit the right place at the right time.

    The relief when he cleared Caprice's sad little atmosphere felt epic. The thin air was barely breathable, despite the best efforts of a huge atmosphere generator located just out of sight of the largest settlement. Just about thick enough to fly through, though.

    The pod moved slowly and steadily away from the moon. It would likely take half a lifetime to get to the nearest D-gate. He felt a sharp jab of regret, flying away from Jer, the man who loved him and now thought him dead. He should've come with. He was supposed to come with. Damn Pietro and his urgent need to meet, anyway. Now it'd be weeks apart, not a long but enjoyable journey with his partner at his side, both of them laughing at the clean getaway. Maybe he shouldn't have done it. Doubt gnawed at his insides, the worry that he'd screwed up, trying this without Jer, almost strong enough to send him back.

    And thinking about the mage's reaction when he found out the truth... Well, that wouldn't be pretty.

    At least he'd have plenty of supplies for the trip. Stealthily, over the last month or so, he'd paid apparently loyal folk to fill the tiny spacecraft to bursting with cash, food, clothes for both of them. He wouldn't have minded sharing the pocket-sized space with Jer. This thing made the old Gorgon look huge.

    He spent a few moments scrolling through audio files, looking for something soothing. Why not, he'd sent his entire collection along with the clothing, might as well listen to some music. He hadn't been able to spend much time indulging his love of music as Emperor, not at all.

    A memory of a recent formal function flickered through his head. Shining bright magelights, glittering crowd of courtiers dancing to the sounds of a live orchestra, sneaking away for a brief escape with his man because they didn't quite dare light off the kind of shitstorm that would happen if they went out and danced in public...

    Kai sighed, locked in a course for the D-gate, and pulled out a hand-held multi-unit to access the Link. The little glowing screen made a poor replacement for Jer. He certainly hadn't planned on being alone, bored, or celibate on this trip. This very long trip.

    Not much he could do about it now.

    Fire Garden

    The will was read after all of Kai's children reached the Palace. It's rare to see all eight of them in one place. They'd scattered off to various schools around the age of twelve, except for Julian. The dragons had snatched him up when he turned nine. The only kids I'd ever gotten close to were Julian, Jasmine, and Candy—really Candace, but she hates that as much as Kai hated his full name. They're mages. Julian, trained by the dragons, is about powerful enough to make any ordinary mage, myself included, kneel in awe before him. Jasmine's far less powerful, but as I already mentioned, she's filled with confidence and sensibility. And Candy's likely to hit Master herself in a few more years. She's got the power, but she came to it late, and hasn't fully learned the discipline yet.

    Such a diverse group of children. Carolus, Caroline, and Julian looked an awful damn lot like Kai, enough to hurt now. Jasmine has dark blond hair, blue eyes, and skin the color of pale honey. She's actually taller than her father. Candy is redheaded enough she'd likely have the nickname Candy no matter what her birth certificate said. Astera is dark like mahogany, with black, curly hair and almost black eyes. She's the real beauty of the bunch, fifteen years old and already breaking hearts left and right, male and female. Also taller than her father, and filled with sensible confidence. And then there're the two seventeen year old boys, Erasmus and Spartacus, whose mothers had been best friends the year they'd gone to Court and found themselves unexpectedly sharing the same man. The friendship had survived the discovery, and they'd raised their sons together. Erasmus has rich auburn hair as curly as Astera's and a rather unique skin color that I could never really put a name to. His mother had the classic Roman olive skin, and that had mixed with Kai's Persian coloring to produce a striking looking son. Spartacus actually resembles me, not very distinctive, although obviously Imperial. Brown hair, hazel eyes, mid-brownish skin. Could almost pass for my natural son. Almost. He'd need to be taller for anyone to believe it, though.

    What a family.

    Carolus held himself apart from the others, even his twin. I gave him a cold look that made him stiffen up. I wonder what's on his mind? Maybe he's feeling guilty. Maybe he's recovered from whatever madness sent him into that fucking club. He'd been a promising young man, once upon a time, willing to consider different points of view, willing to listen to his father's arguments in favor of permanent change. Maybe he's still that way inside.

    I can hope, anyway.

    The reading of the will shook up the status quo somewhat. Professor Farrad did the

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