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Authors: Catherine Asaro
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were two Aristo minds; he had given up trying to detect Corbal. Iquar and Taratus affected him as a single force he couldn’t separate.
He listened as Corbal went through the formalities required before the minister and admiral could address their emperor. Jai wondered how Hightons ever got anything done when they spent so much time giving honorifics. As he waited, he thought back to the files on Iquar and Taratus. Both were wealthy and powerful even by Highton standards, and well on in years, Taratus in his eighties and Iquar over a century. The sheer length of their lives intimidated him. How could he, at seventeen, hope to deal with these people?
He distrusted Taratus immediately. The admiral looked the perfect aristocrat, but he had the mind of a master thief. His hair was pure glittering black, unbroken by a single strand of gray. He had a narrow face and hooked nose, and his eyes were a darker red than Jai’s. He seemed to assess everything around him, missing no details.
Tarquine Iquar was another matter. Jai couldn’t stop looking at her. To say she was a striking woman was akin to saying the Eubian empire was sort of impressive. Her high cheekbones and aquiline nose gave her an austere beauty that had matured into honed elegance. Her snow-marble skin had no flaw. Long and lean, she was almost his height. She was mesmerizing, and she intimidated the hell out of him.
Technically, he and Tarquine were kin; she was the aunt of his grandmother, the late empress dowager, which made Tarquine his great-great-aunt. But the empress hadn’t really been the mother of Jai’s father, so Jai had no blood relation to Tarquine, though only he knew. The red of her eyes matched his, suggesting they did have mutual ancestors; it wasn’t a common shade, except in the Qox Line.
Tarquine had the usual Aristo hair, with one difference: white threaded the glossy mane that brushed her shoulders. It added to her aura of authority. She distracted Jai, disrupting his concentration.
Corbal turned to him. “Minister Iquar and Admiral Taratus request the honor of your acknowledgment.”
Jai wondered what they would do if he said “no” after that interminable introduction. “It is given.”
Tarquine spoke. “You honor the Line of Iquar, Your Esteemed Highness.”
Jai inclined his head as his protocol people had taught him. He wished everyone wouldn’t address him with so many titles. He also hoped Tarquine couldn’t tell how much she flustered him.
Taratus spoke. “You honor the Line of Taratus, Your Esteemed Highness.”
Jai nodded again. He couldn’t imagine having to go through this every time he met a Highton for the first time. The seclusion Corbal wanted to impose on him looked more inviting all the time.
Finally they got down to business. Jai wanted to ask about the situation, but of course he couldn’t be direct. Unfortunately, he had about as much proficiency in the intricacies of Highton speech as a brick. He made a stab at it anyway. “I’ve noticed a remarkable amount of credit flowing lately.”
Taratus nodded as if accepting a compliment. “More to the glory of trade.”
“Indeed.” Tarquine spoke dryly, her voice deep and husky. “One would certainly prefer such a glorious trade to, say, fraud.”
The admiral sat in a relaxed posture, surveying her as if he were a sage and she a callow youth. Given that she was twenty years his senior, it had less effect than it would have had on someone less imposing.
“Perhaps ‘glory’ is an inadequate word,” Taratus said. “‘Astonishing.’ There is a word for you. It describes many things, even, say, escapes by a supposedly dying man.”
She looked unimpressed. “Many words come to mind, Admiral. Like ‘swindle.’”
“‘Security.’” Taratus smirked. “Or a lack thereof.”
Jai couldn’t see what they hoped to accomplish with this dissembling. But if he came straight to the point, it would diminish him in their view. So he tried an
He listened as Corbal went through the formalities required before the minister and admiral could address their emperor. Jai wondered how Hightons ever got anything done when they spent so much time giving honorifics. As he waited, he thought back to the files on Iquar and Taratus. Both were wealthy and powerful even by Highton standards, and well on in years, Taratus in his eighties and Iquar over a century. The sheer length of their lives intimidated him. How could he, at seventeen, hope to deal with these people?
He distrusted Taratus immediately. The admiral looked the perfect aristocrat, but he had the mind of a master thief. His hair was pure glittering black, unbroken by a single strand of gray. He had a narrow face and hooked nose, and his eyes were a darker red than Jai’s. He seemed to assess everything around him, missing no details.
Tarquine Iquar was another matter. Jai couldn’t stop looking at her. To say she was a striking woman was akin to saying the Eubian empire was sort of impressive. Her high cheekbones and aquiline nose gave her an austere beauty that had matured into honed elegance. Her snow-marble skin had no flaw. Long and lean, she was almost his height. She was mesmerizing, and she intimidated the hell out of him.
Technically, he and Tarquine were kin; she was the aunt of his grandmother, the late empress dowager, which made Tarquine his great-great-aunt. But the empress hadn’t really been the mother of Jai’s father, so Jai had no blood relation to Tarquine, though only he knew. The red of her eyes matched his, suggesting they did have mutual ancestors; it wasn’t a common shade, except in the Qox Line.
Tarquine had the usual Aristo hair, with one difference: white threaded the glossy mane that brushed her shoulders. It added to her aura of authority. She distracted Jai, disrupting his concentration.
Corbal turned to him. “Minister Iquar and Admiral Taratus request the honor of your acknowledgment.”
Jai wondered what they would do if he said “no” after that interminable introduction. “It is given.”
Tarquine spoke. “You honor the Line of Iquar, Your Esteemed Highness.”
Jai inclined his head as his protocol people had taught him. He wished everyone wouldn’t address him with so many titles. He also hoped Tarquine couldn’t tell how much she flustered him.
Taratus spoke. “You honor the Line of Taratus, Your Esteemed Highness.”
Jai nodded again. He couldn’t imagine having to go through this every time he met a Highton for the first time. The seclusion Corbal wanted to impose on him looked more inviting all the time.
Finally they got down to business. Jai wanted to ask about the situation, but of course he couldn’t be direct. Unfortunately, he had about as much proficiency in the intricacies of Highton speech as a brick. He made a stab at it anyway. “I’ve noticed a remarkable amount of credit flowing lately.”
Taratus nodded as if accepting a compliment. “More to the glory of trade.”
“Indeed.” Tarquine spoke dryly, her voice deep and husky. “One would certainly prefer such a glorious trade to, say, fraud.”
The admiral sat in a relaxed posture, surveying her as if he were a sage and she a callow youth. Given that she was twenty years his senior, it had less effect than it would have had on someone less imposing.
“Perhaps ‘glory’ is an inadequate word,” Taratus said. “‘Astonishing.’ There is a word for you. It describes many things, even, say, escapes by a supposedly dying man.”
She looked unimpressed. “Many words come to mind, Admiral. Like ‘swindle.’”
“‘Security.’” Taratus smirked. “Or a lack thereof.”
Jai couldn’t see what they hoped to accomplish with this dissembling. But if he came straight to the point, it would diminish him in their view. So he tried an
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